Caesar Pasta with Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

One day, while making a simple pasta, I was about to reach for a few tablespoons of unsalted butter to finish the dish. Adding butter helps to emulsify the sauce and add some flavor. This is when I thought, why not add caesar? It’s basically a supercharged emulsifier with olive oil, egg yolk, anchovies, garlic, parm… basically all the good stuff for pasta. I was not surprised when it turned out DELICIOUS. So, next time you’re finishing your pasta with a little butter, reach for your jar of Max’s Yummy Caesar instead.

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PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 30 minutes

SERVES: 4 beautiful dinner guests

• INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb dried pasta (like rigatoni or orecchiette)

  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casing removed

  • 1  lb broccoli rabe, cut in thirds

  • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

  • 2 Tbsp Max’s Yummy Caesar Dressing

  • ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

  • Pasta water, as needed

  • Fresh cracked black pepper and lemon wedges to garnish

• INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil (ideal ratio is 1 Tablespoon kosher salt per gallon of water). Blanch broccoli rabe in the water for 30 seconds, until bright green and slightly wilted. Remove from the pot, drain, and reserve.

  2. In the same water, cook pasta until a few minutes shy of al dente. You’ll need to taste the pasta as it cooks to see when it’s ready. Drain pasta, reserving a cup of the starchy pasta water. 

  3. Heat a large stainless steel saute pan or medium-high heat. Add extra virgin olive oil to coat the pan, and crumble the Italian sausage into small pieces. Cook undisturbed for a minute so a sturdy brown crust forms. Once browned, stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to release any yummy brown bits.

  4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant with no browning. If your garlic starts to brown right away, your pan is too hot! Add the blanched broccoli rabe and stir to combine. Deglaze with a 1/4 cup of pasta water.

  5. Over high heat, Add sausage and broccoli rabe mix to the drained pasta with another 1/4 cup of pasta water. Constantly stir to emulsify the sauce and finish cooking the pasta. Turn off the heat, add the caesar dressing and parmesan cheese. Stir vigorously to emulsify. Taste for seasoning, adjusting with kosher salt and black pepper.

  6. SERVE! YOU DID IT! YOU MADE PASTA! Garnish with lemon wedges, extra grated parmesan, and a big crack of black pepper.