Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

I loved this Orecchiette pasta. I found this recipe in the Everyday Italian Cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis. The Orecchiette pasta was a bit expensive but I like to splurge every now and then. And let me just add it as worth it! The recipe below is the exact recipe as it is written in her book, however, I didn't put any red pepper flakes in since the sausage already had some. It still had a nice kick in the back of your throat. It was just the right amount of spice. (At least for me.)  I was not able to find broccoli rabe at my grocery store so I substituted fresh spinach. Thanks for looking.

"This recipe is a prime example that you don't need tomato sauce to make a great-tasting pasta dish. And here's a bonus: It tastes great at room temperature, so it's perfect for picnics and casual buffet lunches."

4 Main Course Servings

Salt
2 bunches of broccoli rabe, stalks trimmed and quartered crosswise
12 ounces dried orecchiette pasta or other small shaped pasta, such as farfelle or penne
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound spicy pork sausage, casings removed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Strain the broccoli rabe, reserving all the cooking liquid. Set the broccoli rabe aside. Cook the orecchiette in the same pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until the sausage is brown and juices form, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli rabe and toss to coat. Add the pasta and enough reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten. Stir the Parmesan cheese, salt to taste, and pepper into the pasta mixture. Transfer to pasta bowls an serve.