One pan dinner. A busy mother's dream, a new cook's delight. When everything comes together with minimal dishes to wash yet multiple flavors to admire, you know it is a keeper recipe.
As it is with this one. I've never cooked pasta without at least 2 pans. One for the sauce and one for my macaroni. I actually equate pasta night to a 9 on the 1-to-10 cleanup scale (10 being the worst). I know, I know.....2 pans isn't the worst, but for a Mom who literally walks around in circles cleaning stuff up, 2 dishes is 2 too many, lol.
So I'll settle for 1 dish, thank you very much.
Back to this dinner. 1 pan and 1 damn good meal. The pasta cooking in the chicken broth and wine does wonders for those of you who find pasta a bit bland at times. I love anything sautéed with sausage for many reasons but mainly because it is pork and pork yields tremendous depth of flavor. The broccoli rabe remains a bit bitter but that plays perfectly against the sweet sausage and spicy peppers. Garlic, sliced so thin you'd barely notice it visually, is most certainly present with each forkful. Stirring in the Parmesan right at the end adds a hint of creaminess and just the right amount of salt to liven everything up.
It is just a winner of a dinner, end of story. I will be making it over and over for years to come. I'm pretty sure once you give it a try, you'll be saying the same thing. Enjoy...
Orzo with Sausage & Broccoli Rabe
Serves: 4
Slightly adapted from: Cook's Country Magazine
Ingredients:
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
8 oz broccoli rabe, washed, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 lb sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed
2 1/4 C low sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 C orzo pasta
1/4 C dry white wine
1/2 C Peppadew Hot Piquante red peppers, sliced thin
1/3 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for garnish
Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add broccoli rabe and salt. Cover and cook until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in half of the garlic and continue to cook, uncovered, until broccoli rabe is tender and still bright green, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate and tent with aluminum foil.
In same skillet, heat remaining 1 TBS olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook for about 10-15 minutes, breaking up into pieces as it cooks. Cook until all sausage is browned and in small 1/2 in- 1 in pieces. (total 15 -20 minutes)
Add remaining garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in broth, orzo, and wine. Turn heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until orzo is al dente and nearly all liquid has been absorbed, 8-10 minutes.
Sprinkle broccoli rabe, peppers and parmesan cheese on top. Turn heat to medium high, give the dish a few stirs to combine.
Serve with additional Parmesan, if you'd like.