Italian Classic Sausage and Rapini, you can't get any simpler and more delicious than this. The earthiness of the rapini sautéed in olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes balances so well with the sweet/spicy and saltiness of the Italian sausage! Looking for an easy weeknight dinner? This one's for you!
Song of the day: "Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode.
I can never say no to Italian classic sausage and rapini
Italian sausage is one of my favorites, especially the true Italian made ones, or even the homemade ones we used to make with my mom and dad! What truly distinguishes Italian sausage from others is the coarseness of the ground pork inside, and also the spices: salt, pepper, paprika, chili flakes. Pretty simple but very tasty! This dish is one close to my heart and reminds me of Italy and my father. Sausages was not the only favorite, rapini would have been right up there when in season. Another name for rapini is Broccoli Rabe.
More Italian dishes using rapini
- One of our absolute favorite is Orecchiette with Rapini and Sausage.
- A delightful vegetarian version is Orecchiette with Rapini and Roasted Squash.
- An incredibly tasty side dish is Spicy Italian Rapini and Cannellini Beans.
Time to show you how to make this lovely dish
Enough talking, time to get into the kitchen and get to making this Italian Classic Sausage and Rapini! Here is what we need:
- 2 links traditional mild Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon evo oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bundle of rapini, trimmed and washed
To start off with
- The first thing we need to do is boil the rapini. Super easy, a good pot of water on boil. When it starts boiling, drop in the trimmed and washed greens. Let them boil for 5-7 minutes, or just until slightly soft, then take out of water with a sieve and let drain, then place in a bowl to cool.
- While the rapini are cooling, time to get the sausages into the pan. Place the pan on a medium flame and start to cook. When the sausages are half done, we need to add the clove of garlic, and chili flakes.
- Finally, in goes the rapini and some nice loving stirring. It needs some time on low and also covered so the two flavors have time to mingle!
- When it is done, a little finish of extra virgin olive oil, just because!
Italian classic sausage and rapini, a delight for all the senses!
I love the contrast of color. The rapini is so vibrant and green, the sausages tinted with the paprika, and those little bits of chili flakes pop out. One thing for sure is the aroma is fantastic, one that my mind can recall in several happy memories. More so, that evo oil splashed over add the lovely sheen to keep things moist and aromatic!
We like to present our food, it is like the finishing touches. It also shows passion, and all the love that went into preparing this dish. A flavor bar none that is always a welcome profile in any dish!
The true test, let's have a taste!
One suggestion is have a good rustic, crusty bread to go with this, truly a must. I love the flavor of rapini. I love how the sausage tames the bitterness of the rapini, however that is what I love about this green. It has this almost acidic back drop. What I love to do is put some rapini onto my bread add the sausage and make an open face sandwich. The bread nice and crusty gives a wonderful texture and background to the combination.
If you have not had rapini or alias broccoli rabe, I highly recommend it. Some may say it is an acquired taste, however, you won't know until you try it! Appetizer or main, I would have this anyway!
Thank you for joining us in our kitchen! Buon Appetito!
Print
Italian classic sausage and rapini
Italian Classic Sausage and Rapini, you can't get any simpler and more delicious than this. The earthiness of the rapini sautéed in olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes balances so well with the sweet/spicy and saltiness of the Italian sausage! Looking for an easy weeknight dinner? This one's for you!
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 people 1x
Ingredients
- 1 bundle of rapini or broccoli rabe
- 2 Italian sausages, mild or spicy
- 1 clove garlic
- 2-3 tablespoon evo oil
- dash of salt and pepper
- Pinch of chili flakes
Instructions
Rapini:
- Wash and trim the rapini. Put a large pot of water on boil, when it comes to a boil drop in the rapini and with a wooden spoon push it down so the water covers it.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until slughtly tender, then with a large sieve scoop the rapini all up and let drain. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Sausages:
- While the rapini is boiling, cut the two sausage links into bite size diagonal pieces. Drizzle some of the olive oil into a sauté pan, bring to a medium to high heat, and place the sausage pieces in. Cook for about 10 minutes tossing occasionally making sure all sides cook evenly.
- Add in the garlic and chili flakes, also squeeze out any excess water from the rapini and toss into the pan with the sausages. Give it a good stir, incorporating the rapini with the sausages. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes!
Plating:
- Take off the lid and plate rapini and sausage onto a lovely serving dish. Drizzle some good quality olive oil on top. Cut up some of your favorite crusty bread. Now it is ready to serve!
Enjoy!
Notes
- Use your favorite sausage, however a good quality Italian sausage is what we recommend!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Italian sausage, Rapini, broccoli rabe, Italian food, evo oil, garlic, chili flakes, Traditional Italian,
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
Ramya says
Will be making this soon can i use vegan sausage as am a vegan the dish seems too easy and fast i will try after work i love italian food soooooooooo much perfect for my after office meals will dm you guys if i make this and let you guys know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hi Ramya, yes of course vegan sausage we have tasted some pretty good vegan sausages. It is super easy, It will be perfect for after work! So happy you love Italian food!
Happy cooking!
Ramya says
Yup i love italian food as italian food is availble in Singapore like pasta and pizza
Hi Ramya, Italian food is from the soul and from a place of passion and great ingredients. We love it too and so glad it is available in Singapore!
veenaazmanov says
Love the sausage combination. This Bowl looks healthy and perfect for a light Dinner too.
★★★★★
True on all counts. The sausage really pairs well with the rapini. The sausage has those sweet notes, and the rapini that earthy green, add in garlic and a little olive oil, and spice. You have a wonderful dish that is beautiful too! Thank you!
Anaiah says
Loved all the flavors in this dish! The sausage and rapini were a great combination.
★★★★★
Thank you! This is the simplicity of Italian cuisine and it goes to show how food can be super delicious too!
Have fun cooking!
Kate says
The flavor combination and color was amazing! Such a wonderful and healthy dish that I am certainly making again!
Hi Kate, we love when our recipes are tried, and even more excited to hear it was enjoyed. An ultimate joy for foodie!
Thank you!
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this classic sausage and rapini recipe! It tasted so amazing and It's really easy to make! Highly recommended!
★★★★★
Thank you so so much. Happy you loved it!
Amy says
I love recipes like this, because its hard to get my husband to eat vegetables and in a dish like this, he will eat them! Thank you for another idea!
Hi Amy, always glad to help, any time. Always nice to entice our loved ones to eat vegetables! Stay tuned more of these to come!
Happy cooking!
Veronika Sykorova says
This was delicious! I love rapini, I actually prefer it over regular broccoli, it's almost like steamed kale but broccoli haha.
★★★★★
Lol, love the analogy, We too love the flavor of Rapini. I can eat it everyday if it was available but like that it is a seasonal thing and makes you appreciate it that much more! Very happy you liked this dish!
Cheers!
Linda says
Love the idea of combining rapini and sausage. So easy and yet comforting
★★★★★
Thank you Linda, It truly is Italian comfort food at its best!
Jacqueline Debono says
I love the combination of salsiccia with rapini. I usually make it with pasta but it's a great idea to enjoy it without pasta too! Going to try this when rapini is next in season here in Italy!
★★★★★
Hi Jacqueline, yes pasta with this combination is so delicious, however with a good bread it stands alone wonderfully! Can't wait for Rapini season to be there!
Cheers!
Silvia says
Amazing combo and the best part of all is that is so easy and fast to prepare. The flavor was amazing.
★★★★★
Hi Silvia, so happy you tried this and even happier that you enjoyed it, so easy so delicious a win win for a weeknight or even weekend meal!
Happy cooking!
Hayley Dhanecha says
I am a huge fan of simple yet delicious recipes, this classic Italian sausage and rapini are simply amazing and flavourful.
★★★★★
Thank you Hailey, we love this recipe, it reminds us of home and it truly epitomizes Italian cooking!
So happy you like it!
Natalie says
What a wonderful dinner idea. Light, full of flavor, and healthy. Super easy to make too. Perfect for summer. I'm definitely going to make this. I bet I can find Italian sausages on the market. But if not, what can I use as a substitute?
★★★★★
Hi Natalie, usually Italian sausage is pretty easy to find, if not then what you can do is buy rough ground pork and break it into bite size morsels, season with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and some ground fennel seed, and a pinch of red chili flakes. Saute it in a pan then add the Rapini. This would be very tasty too. I hope this helps!
Happy cooking!