Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe: A Taste of Puglia’s Soul

Few dishes capture the heart of southern Italy quite like orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. It’s rustic, comforting, and deeply tied to the culinary identity of Puglia, the sun-soaked heel of Italy’s boot. At first glance, it might seem like a simple bowl of pasta, greens, and pork. But behind it lies centuries of tradition, cultural pride, and the kind of flavors that linger long after the last bite.

The star of the dish, orecchiette, translates to “little ears,” a nod to its small, round, concave shape. This pasta has been hand-rolled for centuries in Bari, Puglia’s capital, where even today you can stroll through Bari Vecchia and watch local women shaping them at lightning speed on wooden boards.

Their design is no accident—orecchiette’s cupped surface is perfect for catching bits of sauce, oil, and tender greens. It’s pasta designed for both texture and flavor, with a history that stretches back to the Middle Ages.

Then comes the broccoli rabe (cime di rapa). This leafy, slightly bitter vegetable has been part of the Mediterranean diet for centuries, once gathered wild before becoming a staple crop in southern Italy. Its peppery bite cuts through the richness of pork and pasta, delivering a balance that feels both earthy and elevated.

raditionally, Pugliese families made orecchiette con cime di rapa without meat—just pasta, greens, garlic, anchovy, and chili for depth. It was cucina povera, peasant cooking at its finest: simple, resourceful, and utterly delicious.

The addition of sausage came later, as pork became more accessible and as the dish traveled abroad with Italian immigrants. In Italian-American kitchens, particularly in the Northeast, sausage gave the dish more heft and richness, turning it into a hearty centerpiece. Today, both versions—the lean, anchovy-laced classic and the sausage-studded adaptation—stand side by side, each with its own devoted following.

Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe is more than a recipe—it’s a story of resilience and adaptation. From Bari’s cobbled streets to New York trattorias, it showcases the best of southern Italian cooking: handmade pasta, bold flavors, and ingredients that celebrate both land and season.

This dish begs for a southern Italian red. Think Primitivo from Puglia or Aglianico from Campania—wines with enough fruit and structure to play off the sausage, but also the acidity to complement those bitter greens. For white wine lovers, a Fiano or Greco di Tufo brings freshness and minerality to balance the richness.

And if you’re a beer drinker? A crisp, slightly bitter Italian pilsner works beautifully.

Cooking orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe is like bringing a piece of Puglia into your kitchen. It’s humble, bold, and comforting all at once. Whether you lean traditional with anchovies or go hearty with sausage, you’ll discover why this dish has traveled the world—and why it remains one of Italy’s most beloved pasta creations.

✨ At Bottles & Bites Without Borders, we love dishes like this because they remind us that food is never just about what’s on the plate—it’s about history, culture, and the perfect glass alongside it.