- 1 lb short-cut pasta, such as penne
- 1 C ricotta cheese
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 1 large head broccoli
- 1 medium onion, chopp3ed
- 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 C chicken stock
- 1/2 C fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/2 C grated parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino romano cheese
Place a large pot of water with a tight-fitting lid over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, add some salt and the pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Heads up: you will need to use about 1/2 C of the starchy cooking liquid for the sauce before you drain the pasta.
In small mixing bowl, combine ricotta, lemon zest, salt and a lot of freshly ground pepper. Reserve mixture and let come to room temp.
Preheat large skillet over med-high heat with oil. Add sausage and break it up with back of wooden spoon into small bite-size pieces. Cook the meat until brown, about 4-5 min. While sausage browning, prepare broccoli. Cut broccoli tops into small florets. Remove fibrous outer layer of stem, then thinly slice tender center portion of stem.
Once sausage is brown, remove to paper-towel-lined plate. Return skillet to heat and add broccoli and chopped onion. Spread veggies in even layer in pan and season with salt and pepper. Let broccoli brown a bit before stirring about 2 min. Add garlic and red pepper and continue to cook 2 min more. Add sausage and chicken stock. Ladle some cooking water from the pasta and bring up to simmer. Cook until broccoli tender and liquids reduced slightly (2 min.). Add lemon juice, parsley, and cooked pasta. Toss to combine and simmer 1 min. Turn off heat and add grated cheese.
To serve, place a large dollop of pepper-lemon-ricotta mixture into each of 4 shallow bowls and bury it with hot pasta.
Rachael Ray