It’s the combination of bitter broccoli rabe and hot sausage that makes this one of the greatest Italian-American dishes. My mother began making this when my Uncle Joe became a butcher and could provide an unlimited supply of his own handmade pork-and-fennel sausages. It’s still one of my favorites of Mama’s dishes. Here I use whole-wheat penne and low-fat turkey sausage—but the rest I left just like Mama’s.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　6 ounces whole-wheat orecchiette or penne

　　9 cups loosely packed broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into bite-size chunks

　　1 1/2 links hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

　　8 garlic cloves, sliced very thin

　　1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

　　2/3 cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth

　　1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, about 9 minutes. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli rabe. Stir, and continue to cook until both pasta and broccoli rabe are tender. Drain.

　　

Step 2

While the pasta is cooking, heat a very large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until it is golden brown and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a colander and set it aside to drain.

　　

Step 3

Wipe the pan out lightly and return it to medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until it is fragrant and just beginning to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add the crushed red pepper and the chicken broth, and bring to a simmer. Add the cooked pasta and broccoli rabe, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 1 minute to release some of the starch from the pasta and thicken the sauce. Pour the pasta mixture into a large bowl, and toss it with the cooked sausage and the cheese. Season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

　　

healthy tips

Step 4

From the Department of It’s Too Good to Be True, But Is: calorie-free noodles. No, I am not kidding. Shirataki noodles made from konjac flour which comes from the root of the yam-like konjac plant grown in Japan and China.

　　

nutrition information

Step 5

Fat: 78.8g (before), 9.7g (after)

　　

Step 6

Calories: 1,261 (before), 314 (after)

　　

Step 7

Protein: 23g

　　

Step 8

Carbohydrates: 37g

　　

Step 9

Cholesterol: 49mg

　　

Step 10

Fiber: 6g

　　

Step 11

Sodium: 940mg

　　Now Eat This by Rocco DiSpirito. Copyright © 2010 by Rocco DiSpirito. Published by Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Hailed as the "Leading Chef of his Generation" by Gourmet magazine, Rocco DiSpirito received the James Beard Award for his first cookbook, Flavor. He went on to author Rocco's Italian-American (2004), Rocco's Five Minute Flavor (2005), Rocco's Real-Life Recipes (2007), and Rocco Gets Real (2009). DiSpirito also starred in the Food Network series Melting Pot, the NBC hit reality series The Restaurant, and the A&E series Rocco Gets Real.