I first had this pasta at now-closed Feliciano in Adelaide and have been re-creating it on the regular ever since. Originally when I’d first had it it was a simple combination of spaghetti, broccoli, lemon and chilli topped with cheese. The recipe I use now has evolved to include some fried nuts and garlic for extra flavour.
What is broccoli pasta?
Variations of the dish can be found in Italy’s southern state of Puglia where it originated. Commonly it’s called orecchiette con dima di rapa and made with broccoli rabe/rapini.
The broccoli is purposely ‘overcooked’ to form a sauce that coats the pasta. The little ear-shaped orecchiette are perfect for scooping up bits of the sauce.
I know that authenticity and recognition is important to Italian cuisine so I want to make it clear that this dish is not authentic Italian cooking, but was inspired by my experience with this Pugliese classic.
It makes a great dinner party dish or quick weeknight meal. It was actually one of the first recipes that I started getting asked for repeatedly and became a gateway to me finally recording them properly.
Tips before you begin
- As with all pasta recipes, you want to undercook the pasta slightly as it will continue to cook while you assemble the sauce and plate up. This way the pasta will be properly al dente when it’s time to serve.
- This can be made using any pasta shape you like! Consider the size you cut your broccoli florets relative to the pasta cooking time.
- A broccoli floret that’s roughly the size of a cherry tomato will need about 5 minutes to soften for this sauce.
- Remember that it’s better to have softer veg and al dente pasta vs overcooked pasta with hard broccoli.
Broccoli pasta
Ingredients
Instructions
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Place a large pot of well-salted water onto the boil.
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Prep broccoli by cutting the florets off and dicing the stem. Once boiling, place the broccoli into the pot of water along with pasta.
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You will have to be mindful of the pasta cooking time in relation to the size of the broccoli as you want to make sure the broccoli is soft enough that it can melt into a sauce, so you may want to add it before or after the pasta.
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While it cooks, place a small pan over medium heat and add oil, garlic, and nuts.
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Cook over low-medium head until golden. Then add lemon rind and chilli flakes. Cook for a further few seconds then turn off the heat.
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Drain your pasta and broccoli then return to the pot along with the fried garlic and nut mix.
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Stir through olive oil, salt and pepper, cheese, and lemon juice to taste.
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Serve topped with additional cheese and optionally chilli oil.
