I have been dying to experiment with making new pasta dishes and I am so excited to share this recipe with you all! In addition to being a delicious dish, this Cherry Tomato & Sausage Orecchiette presents beautifully and is perfect for guests or a quiet night in with some wine.

Ingredients

• 1 lbs orecchiette pasta
• 3 pints of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 bunches of baby broccolini, stems removed
• 10-12 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 4 sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Salt, for water
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/4 c. fresh basil, for serving

Directions

Clean and remove the stems of the broccolini bunches. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the broccolini for about one minute. Immediately remove the broccolini with a slotted spoon and place in an ice bath to cool. Save this water aside.

Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan. Add in the sausage and break apart the meat until it’s rather fine. Once browned, add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté together until very aromatic. Do not let the garlic burn!

Once aromatic, add the halved cherry tomatoes to the pan and allow them to cook for about 25 minutes. As the tomatoes cook down, they should become very saucy.

Salt the broccolini water and bring to a rapid boil once again. Add the orecchiette and cook until al dente. Once cooked, immediately move the pasta to the pan with the tomatoes and sausage. (Do not rinse the pasta!) Next, add the broccolini to the pan and combine everything together. Once combined, add the Parmesan cheese and combine again. Move the pasta to a serving bowl and add the basil for garnish.

Enjoy!