Pasta shells with rapini and sausage

This dish is derived from a recipe recommended by my dear friend Katrina (of the roasted tomato basil risotto). The original is made with orechiette. While I love it made that way, since we don’t all have that particular pasta shape lying around, I hoped to find a slightly more accessible alternative that may sometimes even save us a trip to the store. It was exactly as I had hoped and the result was a dish that only a serious pasta snob (which I am not, despite my propensity to make fresh egg pasta) would question.

Few ingredients: always a good sign

I make this recipe (or the version with orechiette) whenever I see a good rapini price. This remains frugally possible because I almost always have some Italian sausage in the freezer, Pecorino Romano in the fridge, and pasta and breadcrumbs lying around. Often I have a lemon as well, but even if I don’t, I can stomach paying 75 cents in a pinch, particularly if I have everything else. But this week, it is even easier! Fortuitously, rapini is $1.29/lb at Caputo’s and sausage is $1.79/lb! And an 8 oz canister of panko crumbs is $1.99 – destiny! If you don’t have Pecorino Romano, it isn’t terribly expensive. It normally runs closer to $6/lb as opposed to $16 for the good Parmigiano Reggiano. Or, you can find a domestic alternative for a few bucks. I had a box of these mini shells in my pantry, but you can use any shell pasta. I think regular medium shells would be ideal. You’ll also need olive oil, chicken stock, and some salt.

Few steps: an even better sign

Grate about two ounces of Pecorino Romano. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Coarsely chop the rapini. You don’t have to worry about stems because it will cook down, so just trim any ends that look brown or mangled. Rinse it well in a colander.

Once the water is boiling, add a tablespoon of kosher salt and let it come back to a boil before adding the chopped rapini. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a high-sided nonstick skillet to medium and toast ¼ cup of breadcrumbs for a few minutes. Scrape them out of the pan and set them aside. Return the pan to medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil to brown the sausage, breaking it up well as it cooks. Add some crushed red pepper if you like things spicy.

Scoop the rapini out of the water with a slotted spoon (or an awesome strainer-spoon like this one I found in my stocking one Christmas) and set aside. Bring the greenish water back to a boil and cook the pasta a couple of minutes less than the box recommends for al dente.

When the sausage is browned, add the rapini to the pan and cook, stirring and smashing frequently, until the rapini has broken down. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of the cooking water.

Pretty cool, huh? Now add the undercooked pasta and a cup of chicken broth and cook until the pasta is cooked all the way, adding some of the reserved cooking water, if needed.

Fold in the cheese, reserving a little of what you grated for serving.

Gently mix in the toasted breadcrumbs and the juice of half a lemon. Serve with extra cheese.