Toss “little ear” pasta with flavorful Italian sausage, fresh broccoli rabe, and Parmesan cheese to create this tasty Italian classic.

Preparation

Bring 8 quarts of heavily salted water to boil. Blanch broccoli rabe in boiling water for 45–60 seconds, then remove (reserving blanching liquid) and shock in an ice water bath. When cool, chop broccoli rabe into ½-inch pieces.

Bring blanching liquid to a low boil, add pasta, and cook according to package directions.

Heat sauté pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add sausage to the hot pan and break into bite-sized pieces. Cook until well-browned, about 5–7 minutes.

Add garlic and chili flakes, then shake the pan to brown the garlic. Add broccoli rabe and toss; the water clinging to it will help deglaze the pan. If water evaporates too quickly, add ¼ cup of the blanching liquid to the pan to deglaze. Use a spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Strain pasta and immediately transfer into the sausage and broccoli rabe mixture. Toss with half the Parmesan plus salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat, and add remaining olive oil. Garnish with remaining Parmesan and serve.