Cavatappi with Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients

Servings

6 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 12 14 16

US / METRIC

1 Tbsp

Olive Oil

1 lb

Italian Sausage Links

1 lb

Cavatappi Pasta

or Any other corkscrew pasta

2 cups

Broccoli Florets , cut

or Trimmed Broccoli Rabe

1 cup

Dried Porcini Mushrooms , roughly chopped

1/2

Medium Onion , sliced, trimmed

1 cup

Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil , thinly sliced, drained

1/2 tsp

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 cup

Heavy Cream

or Half and Half

to taste

Salt

1 cup

Parmesan Cheese , grated

Cooking Instructions

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Step 1

Reconstitute and roughly chop the Dried Porcini Mushrooms (1 cup) . Drain and thinly slice the Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil (1 cup) . Trim the root from the Onion (1/2) and slice lengthwise. Cut the Broccoli Florets (2 cups) .

Step 2

Grate the Parmesan Cheese (1 cup) .

Step 3

Fill a large stock pot about halfway full with water. Add Salt (to taste) . Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Add Cavatappi Pasta (1 lb) to boiling water, stirring once or twice. Cook to 3 minutes less than package directions.

Step 4

At this point, reserve 1-2 cups of pasta water in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Add broccoli florets to the pasta and boil additional 3 minutes. Drain cavatappi and broccoli florets.

Step 5

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, add Olive Oil (1 Tbsp) and heat over medium-high flame. Keep the casings on the Italian Sausage Links (1 lb) and carefully add it to the skillet (they may splatter). Cook for a few minutes on each side until they are browned on several sides.

Step 6

Remove Italian sausages to a cutting board. Slice them on the diagonal about 1/2" thick and set aside.

Step 7

Add medium onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are crisp tender. Add porcini mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir and cook an additional one to two minutes until heated through.

Step 8

Add the pasta water, a ladleful at a time, to create a sauce. Continue to cook until sauce is reduced by half. Add Heavy Cream (1/2 cup) and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (1/2 tsp) , stirring to combine. Heat for 1-2 minutes until bubbly.

Step 9

Add Italian sausage back into the pan. Add drained cavatappi and broccoli florets, and toss together. Add parmesan cheese and toss to combine. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!