Roasted Broccoli Rabe with Chicken Sausage

If you are saying...chicken sausage, why? I'll tell you why: broccoli rabe, especially made in this fashion packs so much punch you won't even miss the zing of real sausage. I promise! To jazz this baby up, we are adding lemon, mustard and garlic to those glorious green and gently roasting it alongside some chicken sausage. I've been finessing this recipe for the past month and was so thrilled when I finally got it right last week. I'm excited to share it with you. Not only is it delicious, it's part of the sheet-pan craze! So yes ladies and gentleman, that means you only dirty one baking sheet!

Pre-heat the Oven to 400

Feeds 2 - 4

What Do I Need?

1 lb Italian chicken sausage

1 Bunch broccoli rabe

1/4 Cup olive oil

1/2 A Lemon zest & juice (Invest in a good zester, like this one!)

1 t Mustard (I use a spicy Stone Ground from Organicville)

3 Garlic cloves (smashed and chopped or pressed)

Dash of red pepper flakes (Optional)

S & P

Now What?

Cut the bottom 1" off your broccoli rabe and discard (the hard ends). Wash and set aside your rabe on a towel to dry.

Use a fork and poke a few holes in you sausage, place on a baking sheet and into the oven for 20 minutes. My sausage were from the butcher and very long, so I halved them as opposed to poking fork holes. If you are using grocery store sausage, it should be about 3.5' - 4" so just poke it with a fork. If, like me you are using butcher sausage and find it's quite long, just cut them in half, no need to poke holes.

Next, in a small bowl, mix your olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper and optional red pepper flakes, mix well. Place your dry broccoli rabe in a large bowl and pour your olive oil mixture over it, gently mix with your hands, massaging it softly into all of the broccoli rabe

After your sausage has been cooking for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and carefully place broccoli rabe on the baking sheet all around the sausage, try to space it out nicely so that they are not all piled on top of each other. Return to the oven for 12 - 15 minutes. And be careful! It takes an instant to overcook the broccoli rabe, in which case it goes from roasted to chip like in a minute! And while it's still delicious chip like, it does not present well.

Take Note: I enjoy this alone, but it would be glorious over polenta!