| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 32 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 12 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe, tough lower stems removed
- 1/2 cup pistachios, toasted
- 3/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1/2 pound orecchiette pasta
- High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well-salted ice water. Cook the broccoli rabe in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes and then immediately plunge in the salted ice water. This will prevent the broccoli rabe from being overcooked and will set the lovely green color.
- Drain the broccoli rabe and squeeze out any excess water; coarsely chop. Place the broccoli rabe in the bowl of a food processor and puree until it is a coarse paste. Add the pistachios and parmigiano and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning; you probably will need more salt. Add the ricotta and pulse until combined. Taste for seasoning once again-it should be full-flavored, slightly bitter and creamy at the same time. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. (If you are making the pasta right after the pesto, just use the broccoli rabe blanching water.) Cook the pasta 1 minute less than the cooking time on the package.
- While the pasta is cooking, place the pesto in a large skillet and add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water; place over medium-high heat. When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the skillet with the pesto. Stir vigorously to combine and cook until the sauce is creamy and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes; add salt to taste. Remove from the heat, add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, if desired, and stir vigorously. Garnish with more parmigiano. Voila!
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 420 |
| Total Fat | 13.5 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 4.4 grams |
| Cholesterol | 18 milligrams |
| Sodium | 286 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 54 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.5 grams |
| Protein | 22 grams |
Reviews
So good will make again
I love this recipe!!!!
If people never had broccoli rabe before, cook it in chicken stock. This recipe is perfect but if you don’t like the vegetable you need to test it out first. Also she has a different recipe with sausage and using Marscapone instead of ricotta. So brown up some italian sausage in a pot, add your ingredients and use some pasta water if necessary .The sausage will balance out the rabe. And I don’t know where this SKIM business comes from, surely not ANNE. USE FULL FAT cheeses. ALWAYS.
I modified the recipe a bit – used broccoli instead of broccolie rabe, added shrimp and used half the amount of toasted pistachios the recipe calls me. Toasted pistachios were also hard for me to find, so I ended up buying pistachios and toasting them in the oven myself. The end product was a bit on the bitter side but not too bitter. I agree with the other reviewers that this recipe makes twice as much pesto as needed for the called pasta amount. If I ever make this again, I’m also going to try using less of the parmigiano-reggiano because I think that contributed to the bitterness. Sriracha makes many things taste better, and this is no exception.
Orrible!!! what is that?? you mix three different sauces,please this is not orecchiette with broccoli from Italy . Broccoli must be boiled and then fried in olive oil with garlic,anchoives and chilli pepper. When pasta is cooked put in the pan for some minutes to mix with broccoli and serve it.Please don’t use mixer: you must see chopped broccoli in your dishes. www.cookandine.com
Very bitter. I made it for some guests I had coming over. We all took a bite and looked at each other. I told them I was not offended. I quickly made something else and it cleared the bitterness off our palates.
Love the idea….it just needs a few tweaks. After following the recipe exactly I learned that it definitely makes WAY too much for a 1/2 lb of pasta. Be prepared to have leftover pesto (or just make a whole lb of pasta.
To ensure success (which I didn’t the first time – but lesson learned = 1.Don’t over-toast the pistachios or they will be bitter and since broccoli rabe is already a bit bitter that can be overpowering. 2. Also add a bit of lemon for brightness and some garlic for additional flavor. 3. I also ended up adding a bit of olive oil for consistency.
Will definitely make again with modifications!
Something got lost. Was bitter and bland, if this could be possible. Not a keeper
It was easy, it was different, I loved broccoli rabe.
Absolutely delicious and a nice change to the regular pesto I usually make!