Orecchiette Pasta with Garlicky Broccolini and Sun-Dried Tomatoes is declared a keeper! This is an easy weeknight pasta recipe that uses minimal ingredients yet packs the satisfying, fresh flavors of summer. It includes hearty Orecchiette pasta, fresh broccolini, sun-dried tomatoes, a bold and nutty tasting parmesan, tossed together in a bright tasting lemon-garlic olive oil sauce rounding out the flavors.
Orecchiette Pasta…Recipe Inspiration
In this months' selection for one of the book clubs I belong to, Matt Haig's The Midnight Library takes a quirky main character, Nora Seed, dealing with some hard issues and places her in a unique situation.
The Midnight Library, deals with a library at the edge of the universe that contains an infinite amount of books, each with a different reality. This library specifically has an infinite number of realities of Nora Seed's life.
While Nora travels in and out of realities in the novel, she does occasionally stop to eat a bite. After reading the book, I thought that so much of Nora's story came down to her relationship with her brother. A favorite food scene for me, is where she goes to eat at his house and they eat the Puglian garlic pasta and broccoli together.
Thinking this would be a great dish to try at book club, I headed to the kitchen to play and create. Did you know that Puglia located in the boot of Italy is home to orecchiette pasta? Who knew!
A lovely and colorful pasta - the sun dried tomatoes "pop" and the touch of lemon in the wonderfully, garlicky sauce makes this refreshing and extraordinary. Yum!
-Mary J
I was thinking of Pam's delicious beet salad and yummy pasta a few times today and almost called Francene to see if there were any leftovers😉!
-Nancy B
What is Orecchiette Pasta?
Orecchiette Pasta, translated as "little ears" in Italian, is a small ear-shaped pasta that originated in southern Italy. The indented shape makes it perfect for scooping extra flavor into every bite.
Orecchiette Pasta Recipe Ingredients and Possible Substitutes
- Broccolini or Broccoli Rabe: Broccoli crowns will also work here. You'll just want to include more stem.
- Orecchiette pasta: If you are having difficulty tracking down this specialty pasta, fusilli and campanelle also work well.
- Salt and pepper: I use kosher salt but table salt is fine.
- Extra virgin olive oil: If you'd like you can use butter here instead.
- Lemon Juice and Zest: Fresh squeezed lemon juice will add a bright and fresh taste to the sauce. In a pinch you could use bottled lemon juice and skip the zest.
- Unsalted Butter: Trying to avoid butter? Replace the butter with more extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic for best flavor.
- Basil and Parsley: Use Fresh! I would skip if you only have dried. The fresh parsley will round out the flavor of the sauce, while the basil is more of a garnish.
- Parmesan: Romano cheese will make a great substitute if that's what you have.
- Red pepper flakes: You can omit if you don't like spice or you can add more if you want it spicier.
- Chicken/Vegetable broth and pasta water: Sauteing broccolini achieves a tender-firm bite, but the bitter flavor can be off-putting. Adding pasta water and broth to the skillet will help tame the bitterness and also provide flavor.
Pro Tip: I prefer to use Roasted Chicken Better than Bouillon for chicken broth as it stores longer in my fridge. 1 teaspoon of Better than Bouillon combined with 1 cup of water equals 1 cup of chicken broth. If you want to keep it vegetarian use vegetable broth.
The pasta water will help thicken the sauce. This is a reminder not to drain it. You will see a note in the recipe card below.
Helpful Tips
- Prepping the Broccolini: To trim broccolini, cut off the tough bottom ½ inch of the stalks.
- Retaining the pasta water: If you have a hard time remembering to reserve pasta water before draining the pasta, you can set a 2-cup glass measuring cup in the colander in the sink as a reminder to ladle out some of that pasta water and reserve before draining.
- Don't substitute pasta water for tap or filtered water: Pasta water has the necessary starches to help bind and emulsify the sauce.
- Add extra olive oil as needed: Add more olive oil to taste. I prefer to add a few extra tablespoons for richness and flavor. It can vary how much you may need depending on how fatty the batch of sausage was and how much rendered fat it gives off.
- Make the splurge: Use good quality parmesan. It will add a bold and nutty flavor.
Comment and Rate the Orecchiette Pasta Recipe
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Looking through all the photos is a daily highlight!
Orecchiette Pasta with Broccolini and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
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Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- ½ pound Orecchiette Pasta, fusilli and campanelle also work well
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces broccolini, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, or substitute Roasted Chicken Better than Bullion or vegetable broth. See cooking notes below.
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 fresh basil leaves cut into a chiffonade (long thin strips)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese,grated, plus extra for serving
Instructions
Prepare Tomato Mixture
- Combine tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, parsley, lemon juice and zest, ½ Tablespoonolive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper in medium bowl. Set aside.
Cook The Pasta
- Bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil in a stock pot or dutch oven; add 1 Tablespoon salt and pasta, stir to separate, and cook until al dente. Reserve ¾ cup of the pasta water, Drain and return pasta to stock pot.
Bringing It All Together
- While pasta is cooking, heat a 12-inch skillet over medium. Pour in 1 - 2 Tablespoons of oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add remaining garlic and pepper flakes, cook, stirring often until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Note: Add more pepper flakes if you like more of a spice kick.
- Increase heat to high and add half of broccolini; cook, stirring often, until just wilted, about 1 minute. Add the remaining broccolini and ½ teaspoon salt and about ⅓ cup pasta water just enough to cover the bottom of the pan (see sauteing broccolini notes below) cook, stirring often until crisp-tender,2 to 3 minutes. Transfer broccolini to a colander set on a plate or bowl. Do not wash the skillet.
- Bring ½ cup broth and ⅓ cup pasta water to boil in now-empty skillet over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced to about ½ a cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and whisk in butter and reserved tomato mixture. Add sauce, reserved broccolini, and ¼ cup Parmesan to pasta and toss to combine. Add remaining cooking water as needed to adjust consistency.Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve immediately, garnishing individual bowls with remaining Parmesan and sprinkled with chopped basil.
Video
Notes
Chicken Broth Substitutions:
For more roasted chicken flavor, combine Roasted Chicken Better than Bullion with pasta water. 1 teaspoon of Better than Bullion combined with 1 cup of pasta water equals 1 cup of chicken broth. Want to keep it vegetarian? Consider swapping out chicken broth and replace with vegetable broth.Sauteing Broccolini Helpful Tips:
Sauteing the broccolini will achieve a tender-firm bite, but the bitter flavor can be off putting. Adding a splash of pasta water and enough chicken broth to the skillet to cover the bottom as you sauteed the broccolini will help tame the bitterness and also provide ample flavor. It is important that some water still clings to the broccolini after washing to help it steam during cooking.- Prepping the Broccolini: To trim broccolini, cut off the tough bottom ½ in of the stalks.
- Remembering pasta water: If you have a hard time remembering to reserve pasta water before draining the pasta, you can set a 2-cup glass measuring cup in the colander in the sink as a reminder to ladle out some of that pasta water and reserve before draining.
- Broccolini or Broccoli Rabe look so pretty in this dish, but Broccoli crowns will also work here, you'll just want to include more stem.
- Orecchiette pasta is a great hearty pasta for this dish, fusilli and campanelle also work well.
Your Notes, Tips and Tricks
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Pam Werley says
I made this today using campanelle -- the hearty noodle was a great substitute!
Mark Werley says
This is a fresh and satisfying main course any time of year.
Laura Johnson says
Delightful, delicious dish; love the yummy sun-dried tomato flavor "pops"!