With just 5 ingredients, skillet orecchiette with sausage and broccoli is a simple, healthy weeknight meal ready in under 30 minutes!
We’ve had somewhat of a crazy week here. Dad’s been MIA because of work at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, plus some bachelor party fun in New York City this upcoming weekend. SO, because I’ve been spending the past few weeknights solo [toddlers and baby in tow], I’ve had to become a little strategic with the timing of making dinner. And for the most part, if I want to get a healthy dinner on the table once 6pm rolls around and I’m solo with the kids, I’m making that dinner during naps and reheating it later in the day! And folks, that’s exactly how and why I came up with this skillet orecchiette dinner.
Say the word pasta and I know one toddler will eat one part of dinner. Say the word sausage and I know the other will too. Add some broccoli and Mom feels better about the entire meal. I wasn’t in the mood for a saucy skillet dinner so I ended up using some dry Italian dressing mix [the other half went in the Hummus Baked Chicken from earlier in the week] plus some red wine vinegar and olive oil, essentially using about ¼ cup Italian salad dressing. Which might seem odd to some in a warm pasta dish, but believe me it was delicious! Or believe my toddlers. Because toddler A ate his noodles and toddler B ate his sausage!
Reheating this meal is just as simple as cooking it. Once I cooked the skillet orecchiette, I stored it in a container in the fridge. Then reheated in the same skillet before dinner which took about five minutes. No complaints from the crew and all I had to do was clean the skillet and their messy plates after dinner. That, my friends, is how I get dinner on the table.
- 1 cup orecchiette pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 Italian chicken sausage links, sliced into ½ inch pieces
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- ¼ cup Italian salad dressing
- Grated parmesan cheese for serving
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, add oil to large non-stick skillet and heat to medium-high. Add sausage and sauté, flipping pieces occasionally, for 5-7 minutes.
- Add broccoli and Italian dressing, stirring until broccoli and sausage is evenly coated in dressing [adding more dressing as you’d like]. Cover, and cook on medium heat until broccoli is soft, an additional 5 minutes.
- Add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Are you a fan of skillet meals? Then be sure to download my FREE 5 Ingredient Skillet Dinner PDF! When I’m not using my slow cooker, I’m using my other favorite kitchen tool: a large non-stick skillet!
Am I the only one that loves same-day leftovers? Do you ever make dinner at lunchtime to reheat once 6pm hits?!
