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+ servings

Baked Pasta with Broccoli, Sausage and Creamy Lemon Sauce

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • Salt to taste
  • 2 medium heads of broccoli stems trimmed and discarded, then cut into florets
  • 1 (14 ounce) jar The Pasta Queen Lemon Temptress Sauce
  • 1 pound pasta short pasta works best: rigatoni, mezze maniche
  • Extra virgin olive oil as needed
  • 2 Italian-style sausage links casing removed, about 8 ounces
  • 8 ounce ball of fresh mozzarella torn by hand
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese finely grated to taste

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water reaches a boil, salt it so it takes like a seasoned soup. Add the broccoli and cook until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside, but keep the water at a rolling boil.
  • In a large bowl with an immersion blender or in a high speed blender, combine the broccoli and The Lemon Temptress. Add a splash of cooking water (about ½ cup) to the jar and shake to loosen up any bits of sauce in the jar. Add that to the broccoli and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  • Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until very al dente.
  • Meanwhile, in an oven safe baking dish, add a drizzle of olive oil and set over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling it with a wooden spoon as it cooks to break it into bite-sized pieces, until brown and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Alternatively, cook it in a skillet, then transfer it to a baking dish.
  • Drain the al dente pasta and add it to the baking dish with the sausage.Pour the broccoli cream over the pasta and mix well until everything is evenly coated.
  • Scatter the mozzarella on top, followed by a generous layer of grated Parmigiano.
  • Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20–30 minutes, until bubbly and golden on top.