Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Pesto

Start by making the Broccoli Pesto. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Drain off the water and immediately transfer the broccoli to a food processor. Toss in the walnuts, garlic, parmesan cheese and mascarpone cheese and pulse while slowly pouring in olive oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until thick and smooth. Set Broccoli Pesto aside.

For the pasta: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Cook the onion until softened then add the garlic and continue to cook, just until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the sausage next, breaking it up into pieces while it cooks. Cook sausage until brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

While the sausage cooks, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and cook orecchiette according to package directions. Cook the noodles for 1 minute less than the directions call for. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.

Add the drained pasta to the Dutch oven and stir to combine everything. Add 1-2 cups of pesto, stirring to combine. You want enough pesto so that the pesto clings to all the noodles. Thin out the sauce with the reserved pasta water as needed. Remove from heat and serve with extra pesto on the side.