Orecchiette Pasta with Broccolini and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Orecchiette pasta, fresh broccolini, sun-dried tomatoes, a bold and nutty tasting parmesan, tossed together in a bright tasting lemon, garlicky olive oil sauce.
Servings: 2 hearty servings
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.