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Number of servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 lb rigatoni or penne pasta, preferably whole grain

4 Italian sausages (sweet or hot), with the casings removed

1 bunch broccoli rabe (rapini), trimmed and chopped coarsely

2 cups basil leaves, packed loosely

¾ cup olive oil (use extra virgin olive oil)

½ cup walnuts

½ cup ricotta cheese

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and trimmed

½ tsp salt

salt and black pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Start by preheating your oven to 300 F. Spread out the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast until they’re slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove the toasted walnuts from the oven and allow them to cool completely before using.

Once the walnuts have cooled to room temperature, measure out ¼ cup of walnuts and place in a food processor. Add the basil leaves, garlic cloves and ¼ tsp salt. Process the ingredients, adding ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil to the mixture as it processes. Mix until the ingredients reach the right consistency for pesto (smooth, but not a puree).

Chop the rest of the toasted walnuts finely and set aside. In a large saucepan or stockpot, bring lightly salted water to a boil and add a splash of olive oil (this is to prevent the pot from boiling over as well as keeping the pasta from sticking together during cooking). Add the rigatoni and cook until it’s slightly more tender than al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside.

While the water is boiling, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet. Once the olive oil is hot, add the Italian sausage to the skillet and cook, stirring regularly to break up the meat. Saute until the sausage is browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the skillet and place in a small bowl, leaving the fat behind in the skillet.

Add the rest of the olive oil to the skillet and the broccoli rabe. Saute, stirring regularly, until the broccoli rabe is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add a little water, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for another 5 minutes until tender. Add ¼ tsp salt and a little black pepper, stir and return the Italian sausage to the pan; cook for another 1 – 2 minutes, until the sausage is heated through.

Toss the cooked rigatoni with the walnut pesto and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Divide the pasta among four individual plates and top with the broccoli rabe and sausage mixture, a little ricotta cheese and a sprinkling of chopped walnuts. Serve immediately.