Name: Pasta with Broccoli Rabe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 cups Broccoli Rabe ((steamed or boiled until just tender)); 1/3 cup olive oil; 2 cloves garlic ((minced)); 1-2 dashes hot pepper flakes to taste; 3 - 3 1/2 cups cooked pasta; salt to taste

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Pasta with Broccoli Rabe is a quick, easy good for you Italian Pasta Recipe. Garlic, olive oil, and a sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese make it perfect. It’s a delicious weeknight Comfort Food Dinner idea.

Orecchiette Pasta with Broccoli is my absolute favourite Pasta Dish and believe me I have eaten a few!

Not only do I love the taste of this pasta, but making it always reminds me of my mother-in-law’s vegetable garden! I remember helping her pick all the amazing veggies that she would grow. It’s such a wonderful memory.

I remember the first time she made this pasta with broccoli rabe for me – it was delicious! I fell in love with it and have since made it many times myself.

Broccoli rabe is the main vegetable in this recipe and it’s delicious. If you’ve never tried it, it’s similar to broccoli but the flavor is a little more bitter. When you cook it, it turns tender and loses some of its bitterness. If you can’t find Broccoli Rabe or Rapini, then regular broccoli will work too.

This dish is traditionally made with orecchiette pasta, also known as “little ears”. Really, any short or long pasta will work – I often make it with spaghetti, so choose your favorite.

This is an easy pasta recipe with simple ingredients and it’s ready in no time. It’s a great weeknight dinner when you’re craving pasta and want something fast.

Ingredients

Broccoli rabe
Olive oil
Minced garlic cloves
Red pepper flakes
Cooked pasta
salt to taste

Instructions

First, you will want to par-cook the broccoli rabe. The easiest way to do this is to boil it in unsalted water for about 10 minutes. You will want it tender because you will sauté it in oil with the seasonings.

Boil the pasta in a large pot until it’s al dente. Reserve a ladle full of the pasta water and drain the pasta.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the garlic, broccoli rabe, salt, and red pepper flakes. Use a fork to stir and then use it to press down on the broccoli as it cooks. You only need to cook it for about a minute.

Add the cooked pasta along with some pasta water. Cook on high heat, tossing the pasta with the other ingredients until the liquid has almost completely evaporated.

Serve the pasta right away with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Cooked pasta & broccoli rabe in a black pan.

Recipe Tips

Broccoli rabe is sold by the bunches and is easy to prep. To clean it, leave the flower and a small part of the stem and a couple of leaves – these are the tender parts of the vegetable.

You can par-boil the vegetables ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the dish.

I love this dish just as it is, but you can add things to it to change the flavor. Try adding crumbled cooked hot Italian sausage if you want to add protein. Sweet Italian sausage would also work.

I’ve also seen it with lemon zest or lemon juice added. I’ve always made it the way my mother-in-law did, but these additions work well.

Any leftover pasta should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It should keep for up to 2 days.

Not only is this pasta with broccoli rabe tasty but it is also really good for you and you can add as much broccoletti as you like, and topped with a nice helping of freshly grated parmesan cheese and dinner or lunch is served. Buon Appetito!

Pasta with broccoli rabe on a white plate.

More Quick Pasta Recipes

Reposted from January 20,2014.