Italian sausage and broccoli pasta

A classic mid-week Italian pasta. Make meatballs out of store-bought sausages, combine with sweet broccoli and tomato passata

 

Ingredients

1 brown onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced

1 small celery stalk, finely diced

1 small carrot, finely diced

4 anchovy fillets

4 pork and fennel sausages (casing removed)

1 cup tomato passata

1 can chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 small red chilli (optional)

1 handful fresh basil leaves

2 broccoli heads cut into florets

400g spaghetti, cooked al dente, to serve

Method

  • Heat some oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté until translucent. 
  • Then add the garlic, chilli and anchovies and saute for a further minute. 
  • Next, add the celery and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes—being careful not to let the sofritto burn. 
  • Pinch off smallish pieces of the sausage, and add to the pan, and stir until browned. 
  • Add the tomato passata, chopped tomatoes, wine and half the basil leaves. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. 
  • Add the broccoli heads and cook for a further ten minutes or until the broccoli is tender. 
  • While this is happening, cook your pasta to al dente
  • Season the sauce with salt and pepper and toss through the pasta, 
  • Garnish with the remainder of the basil leaves and plenty of shaved parmesan.