Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, and Walnuts

So I guess technically this should be called Fusilli with Spicy Italian Sausage, Broccoli Rabe. and Walnuts, because that's what D made.  Our Kroger, in a mind baffling move doesn't sell linguine or orecchiette.  So we make do with what we can get.

Overall, this was very good.  The tang from the cheese and the crunch from the walnuts made it a little different from your basic pasta, spinach and sausage dish.

We would have again. We had a with a Caesar Salad.

Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, and Walnuts

Photo by ALB

Warming winter flavors unite to create this simple and elegant weeknight dish.

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients
6 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta (we used 8 oz of fusili)
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided (used cooking spray)
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
8 ounces sweet turkey Italian sausage, casings removed (used Spicy Pork Italian Sausage)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch broccoli rabe (about 12 ounces), trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Added 1 tsp of butter
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)

Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid; drain.

2. While pasta cooks, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat (didn't use oil). Add walnuts; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer walnuts to a plate.

3. Add remaining 4 teaspoons oil and sausage to pan (used cooking spray); cook 6 minutes, stirring to crumble sausage. Add garlic, broccoli rabe, and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

4. Add pasta, remaining 1/2 cup pasta water, walnuts, rind, juice, and red pepper and butter to pan; toss to combine. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information (with none of my changes)
Calories :424; Fat: 21 g; Sat fat: 5.9 g; Mono fat: 7.7 g; Poly fat: 5.8 g; Protein: 24 g; Carbohydrate: 37 g; Fiber: 2 g; Cholesterol: 57 mg; Iron: 3 mg;   Sodium: 507 mg; Calcium: 83 mg

Nutritional Information (with my changes)
Calories: 587; Fat: 15 g; Sat fat: 6 g; Mono fat: 3 g; Poly fat: 5 g; Protein: 19 g; Carbohydrate: 62 g; Fiber: 6 g; Cholesterol: 16 mg; Sodium: 151 mg

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2015