You can make Rapini Pasta in 25 minutes! You'll love this dish featuring slightly bitter Italian greens, also known as "broccoli rabe." Combining penne, sautéed rapini with garlic and Pecorino Romano makes a fabulous meal!
I'm on a rapini kick, and I'm not sorry. These slightly bitter Italian greens become magical when sautéed in garlic and added to pasta.
They're delicious in my hearty Orecchiette with Rapini and Sausage, but I wanted a lighter, meatless version without cream.
This Rapini Pasta allows no distractions from the garlicky broccoli rabe in oil. That savory flavor, accented with Pecorino Romano, will have you swooning after every bite!
Recipe ingredients
Rapini: Also known as “broccoli rabe” in some regions of America, these Italian greens have stems with florets and lots of leaves.
Look for bunches of rapini that are firm, sturdy and vibrantly green. You'll find them near the regular broccoli in the produce department.
If you need a rapini substitute, try broccolini.
Pecorino Romano: Made from sheep's milk, Pecorino packs a bold punch of salty flavor that's perfect with rapini. You can substitute regular Romano, or for a milder flavor, use Parmesan.
Note that Pecorino Romano (and even Parmesan) contain rennet, an animal enzyme. Strict vegetarians may want to omit the cheese.
Penne: I prefer penne pasta with rapini, but feel free to substitute ziti, rigatoni, orecchiette or your favorite pasta shape.
How to cut rapini for pasta
After rinsing the broccoli rabe, cut off and discard the bottom four inches of thick stems. (They would be too hard to chew.)
Cut the remaining greens into two-inch pieces so it's easy to eat the rapini with pasta. It's safe to eat the leaves, along with the florets and more tender parts of the rapini stalks.
How to make it
See the card at the end of this post for the full recipe, but here's an overview.
- Briefly boil the greens (blanch them.)
- Start the rapini sauce by heating garlic in olive oil.
- Add the drained rapini and seasonings to the pan and cook with the garlic.
- Stir in the drained pasta, some reserved cooking water and Pecorino.
Recipe tips
- Blanch the rapini first to make it less bitter.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the blanched rapini from the pot so you can use the same boiling water to cook the pasta.
- Make this vegan by using vegan Parmesan or omitting the cheese and adding more salt to compensate.
What to serve with it
Broccoli rabe pasta is perfect for lunch or even a Friday Lenten meal, served with no-knead Italian bread and broiled cod.
It's also an excellent primo piatto (first dish) before breaded Parmesan pork chops or Italian chicken cutlets.
You may want to serve the rapini and pasta in these beautiful bowls.
More recipes with Italian greens
- Baked Arugula Frittata
- Oven-Baked Risotto with Vegetables
- Sautéed Escarole
- 50 Spinach Recipes for Dinner
- Escarole and Bean Soup
- Spinach-Ricotta Pie
Enjoy!
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Rapini Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 bunch rapini (about 13 ounces)
- ½ pound penne pasta (or ziti, rigatoni, etc.)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup starchy cooking water from pasta (2 standard ladles)
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Grate the Pecorino if needed. Peel and slice three cloves of garlic into ⅛-inch thick pieces and set them aside.
- Fill a 6-quart pasta pot ⅔ full with hot water. Add one teaspoon of salt, cover and heat it on high to bring it to a boil. (Note that you'll use the same pot of boiling water to first blanche the rapini, then cook the pasta.)
- While the pot is heating up, clean the rapini. Rinse it and cut off and discard the bottom four inches of thick stems. Cut the remaining rapini into two-inch pieces.
- When the water is boiling, add the rapini and boil it for two minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the blanched broccoli rabe to a salad spinner or colander with a pan underneath it. (Keep the pot of water boiling.)
- Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and stir briefly. Cook the penne according to the al dente instructions on the package, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick. (You can work on the next step of the recipe while it's cooking.) When the pasta has a couple of minutes left to cook, scoop out one cup (two standard ladles) of the cooking water and place it in a bowl. After the pasta is done and you've saved some of the cooking water, drain the pasta in a colander in the sink. The cooked pasta can sit in the drainer until you're finished making the rapini.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat five tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook it for a minute or so.
- Drain the blanched rapini well, ideally using a salad spinner. (Otherwise use a colander.) Add the drained rapini to the skillet. Stir in ½ teaspoon of salt and ⅓ teaspoon of pepper. Cook the rapini for five minutes.
- Lower the heat under the skillet and add the cooked, drained pasta to the pan of rapini. Pour in one ladle (½ cup) of reserved starchy cooking water and stir to combine. Add in a little more of the reserved water if the pasta seems dry. Stir in the Pecorino. Turn off the heat and add a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired. Serve with extra grated Pecorino or Parmesan, if you like.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Notes
Nutrition
(Recipe Source: Cooking with Mamma C)
Doris Poggi says
One of my all time favorite recipes. In fact, I made this about two weeks ago. Pecorino is the best!
Mamma C says
Hi Doris - This is one of our favorites too! Pecorino works so well to complement the rapini.