Rigatoni with Hot Sausage, Tomatoes, and Broccoli Rabe Recipe by Mangia
Rigatoni with Hot Sausage, Tomatoes, and Broccoli Rabe
Extra-virgin olive oil plays a large part in the success of the sauce here. Use a good one. Aside from that, all the remaining ingredients in this pleasing, colorful combination are easy to find. In fact, you can prepare each of the separate components the sauce, broccoli rabe, and pasta-in advance, which makes putting this together, even on the busiest of days, eminently doable.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds plum tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 pound broccoli rabe
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ pounds rigatoni
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Wash, trim, and finely dice the tomatoes. Peel, trim, and slice the garlic. Wash the broccoli rabe well and trim the thick parts of the stems, if any; pat dry.
- Remove the casings on the sausage and, with your fingers, crumble the meat into small chunks.
- In a large skillet, cook the garlic in one-half of a cup of the olive oil over low heat, stirring, until softened, but do not let it brown. Add the stirring, for 5 minutes, or until it loses its color. Add the tomatoes and salt, sausage and cook, stir to combine, and cover the pan; cook, stirring once or twice, for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the sauce cool to room temperature.
- In a medium skillet, cook the broccoli rabe in the remaining one-half of olive oil over low heat, stirring, for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, cup of and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir to separate, and cook over high heat for 10 minutes, until cooked but al dente. (Or follow the cooking directions on the package.) Drain the pasta in a colander. To prevent the pasta from sticking together, spread it out on a large baking sheet or platter and let it cool, about 15 minutes. Cover and hold at room temperature for up to 3 hours.
- Turn the pasta into a large ceramic serving bowl. Add the tomato sauce. Drain the broccoli rabe well of any liquid and add to the pasta; toss well to combine. Add the Parmigiano and toss once more. Best served within 1 hour of finishing.
