Authentic home cooking from Italy, with US measurements.

Originally published on Cookpad Italy as Mezze maniche con crema di broccoli e salsiccia 🌷

Mezze Maniche with Broccoli Cream and Sausage

Name: Mezze Maniche with Broccoli Cream and Sausage
Total time: 1800 s
Yield: Serves 6 servings
Ingredients: 1.1 lbs mezze maniche pasta (500 g); 2 large heads of broccoli; 3 green onions; 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 6 anchovy fillets; 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Francesca Simona Naselli @acasadifrancesca

Sicilia

A simple yet flavorful first course made with stewed broccoli, then blended with anchovy fillets and Parmesan cheese. This is a creamy, hearty dish, enriched with crumbled sausage. It's a rustic recipe with country origins that I've adapted a bit. In the original version, the broccoli is mashed with a fork instead of blended, and pecorino cheese is used instead of Parmesan.

Francesca Simona Naselli @acasadifrancesca

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Ingredients

30 minutes

Serves 6 servings

1.1 lbsmezze maniche pasta (500 g)
2large heads of broccoli
3green onions
6 tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
6anchovy fillets
6 tablespoonsgrated Parmesan cheese

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Steps

30 minutes

1

Clean the broccoli, remove the stems, and separate the florets. Rinse thoroughly, then boil them in plenty of salted water. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the crumbled sausage (with the casing removed) until browned.
2

Once the sausage is crispy, set it aside. Without washing the skillet, sauté the chopped green onions in a drizzle of olive oil. When they are golden, add the drained broccoli and cook to let the flavors blend. Occasionally add a ladle of the broccoli cooking water and stir.
3

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the broccoli cooking water. When the broccoli is very soft, turn off the heat and blend it together with the anchovy fillets, Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and, if needed, a bit of the cooking water.
4

When the mezze maniche is al dente, drain it and toss with the broccoli cream. Add a little cooking water and mix well, then serve on plates and top with the crumbled sausage.
5

Tips:
If you drain the pasta very al dente, you can finish cooking it in the oven. Add some cubed cheese and breadcrumbs before baking.
6

This broccoli and sausage cream is also perfect as a topping for bruschetta.

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Francesca Simona Naselli @acasadifrancesca

Published in the US on July 03, 2026 14:01

Sicilia

Amo preparare piatti semplici e genuini per la mia famiglia e gli amici, perché per me cucinare è molto più che seguire una ricetta è un gesto d’amore e condivisione.La mia grande passione è fare il pane, specialmente la formatura, creare e portare in tavola qualcosa fatto con le proprie mani è una gioia che non ha eguali! 💕Il mio profilo Instagram @acasadifrancesca