recently, i had the opportunity to do one of my favorite things: cook a delicious recipe in a beautiful space on a sunny day with a friend. oh! and we both took photos of the food and the process of making it. if that’s not a great day, i don’t know what is.
photo by liz
photo by liz
the delicious recipe in question is one of my favorite winter pastas, this baked pasta with sausage and broccolini. it started off as a smitten kitchen recipe, but then of course i fiddled with it, altering the greens and adding more in the process and (shhh, don’t tell!) toning down the cheese and sausage a bit (no, it’s ok! there’s still plenty of both.).
photo by liz
photo by liz
what results is a cozy and comforting but not overly indulgent dinner that’s perfect in the middle of winter, when we simultaneously want comfort food but also things with green vegetables to remind us that some day – some day – the farmers’ market will have something other than squash on offer.
photo by liz
photo by liz
photo by liz
photo by liz
photo by liz
it also turns out to be the perfect recipe to make while chatting with a friend, since it’s not so complicated that having a conversation means risking ruining dinner. which is key when part of the point of getting together is to photograph the recipe together.
there isn’t a huge market for food blogs featuring gross-looking burnt failures, as it turns out, and i’d hate to waste the talents of one half of the amazing russell caron wedding photography team! liz caron is an in-demand wedding photographer three seasons of the year but luckily for me, winter is a bit quieter for wedding photographers so when she suggested we get together to shoot a recipe, i jumped at the chance!
photo by liz
photo by liz
we got together on a lovely sunny day and despite the distraction of the river running past just outside the huge windows set in a wall of exposed brick (::swoon::), i managed to tear myself away from the view for long enough to throw this baked pasta with sausage and broccolini together.
it was really fun to work with someone else for a change and as liz and i were wrapping up, we talked about getting together again to shoot another recipe. i can’t wait, as some of my favorite memories have been made in a kitchen with friends and a good recipe.
photo by liz – my favorite of our whole shoot!
did you make this recipe? i’d love to know what you think of it! leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #tastyseasons.
baked pasta with sausage and broccolini
Save to BigOven 
Ingredients
- 1 pound (16 oz. / 454 g.) short pasta, such as penne
- 2 bunches (7 oz. / 200 g.) broccolini, ends trimmed, stems and florets cut into 1” (2 cm) segments
- 10 oz. (283 g. / 3 links of a 20 oz. package with 6 links) hot italian style turkey sausage, casings removed
- 4 tablespoons (2 oz. / 57 g.) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (1 oz. / 30 g.) flour (i like white whole wheat but all purpose is fine)
- 2 cups (16 fl. oz. / 480 ml) milk (i use skim)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (1 3/4 oz. / 50 g.) grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
- 6 oz. (170 g.) block of part skim mozzarella, diced
Instructions
- in a large dutch oven (affiliate) (mine is 6.5 quarts) or large oven safe pot (or regular large pot, if yours isn’t oven safe), boil enough water for the pasta and broccolini. add the pasta and 4 minutes before the package says it would be done, add the broccolini and stir to submerge it in the water. after 2 minutes (so, 2 minutes before the pasta package says it would be done), drain the pasta and broccolini. return the pasta and broccolini to the pot and set aside.
- meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. once it’s browned, transfer it to the pot with the drained pasta and broccolini and scrape as many little bits into the bowl as you can, so they don’t burn.
- preheat the oven to 400° F.
- return the saucepan to the heat and melt the butter. once the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour in and stir the butter/flour paste constantly for a minute. add a small amount of the milk and whisk constantly until it’s smooth. add the milk in slowly, whisking the whole time to prevent/break up clumps. once you have about 1/3 – 1/2 of the milk in there and the paste has loosen up into more of a sauce, you can pour the rest of the milk in slowly, continuing to whisk. once the sauce is smooth, add the garlic and nutmeg. lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan.
- pour the sauce into the pot with the pasta, broccolini, and sausage. add the grated cheese and the mozzarella. stir to combine everything, but don’t worry if all of the mozzarella isn’t melted yet (it will melt into little pockets of cheesy goodness when the pasta bakes). (if your pot isn’t oven safe, transfer everything to an oven safe casserole dish once it’s combined.) slide the pot into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the top of the baked pasta is golden brown. let cool for a minute or two then serve. leftovers keep well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for several days.
Notes
adapted from baked pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage over at smitten kitchen.
Nutrition Facts
baked pasta with sausage and broccolini
Serves: 6 - 8
| Amount Per Serving: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 435 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 15 g. | 23.1% | |
| Saturated Fat 8 g. | 40% | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol 63 mg. | 21% | |
| Sodium 472 mg. | 19.7% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 50 g. | 16.7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 3 g. | 12% | |
| Sugars 5 g. | ||
| Protein 24 g. | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
tasty seasons
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My Dutch oven must be smaller than yours. I used about 10oz. Great recipe. I baked the sausage in my Dutch oven and then scraped away all but 2 tablespoon of the grease, so I did not have to add as much butter to make my bechamel sauce. Then picking up the bits was automatically and also when I made my pasta and broccolini in another pot it was very easy to clean.
I liked this recipe for its flavor, ease, and leftovers.
oh dear! i will update the recipe to indicate what size dutch oven i use (6.5 qt.). i’m glad the recipe still worked out ok for you. i love your idea about using the sausage drippings in place of some of the butter. the turkey sausage i use never has any but pork sausage certainly would. i’m glad you liked this recipe – i think how well the leftovers keep and reheat is one of the best parts!
Oh my goodness SO YUMMY!!! I made this tonight, and Cheryl made it very clear that she would like this to be a repeat recipe, please. 🙂 I loved the spiciness of the sausage against the creaminess of everything else. I used regular broccoli because the Sunday-night grocery store didn’t have broccolini, and that worked just fine.
Thank you for the explicit instructions on timing the pasta–I was tempted to let it cook for the whole time listed on the box and then thought, no, Kate tests these recipes over and over–just follow the directions! So I did, and it was just right. 🙂
I think it took me longer than 50 minutes to cook, so next time, I will probably start the sauce while the pasta and broccoli are boiling. In any case, the time it took was worth it.
yay! i’m so glad you both liked it! it really is one of my cold weather favorites. 🙂
i almost always slightly “underboil” any pasta that is going in the oven so that by the time it’s done with all of its cooking, it’s just right, rather than mush.
and yes, i’m an inveterate multitasker in the kitchen so i’m not always sure how to account for the time a recipe takes. i’m glad you thought it was worth it though!