Broccoli Rabe Pesto Pasta
Updated March 10, 2025
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot.
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Salt and pepper
2 heads broccoli rabe (about 1 pound each), tough stems removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup shelled walnuts (about 2 ounces)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 4 ounces), plus more for serving
1 lemon, juiced
½ cup olive oil
1 pound farfalle, or other short pasta
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
97 grams carbs; 19 milligrams cholesterol; 925 calories; 23 grams monosaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 46 grams fat; 12 grams fiber; 1008 milligrams sodium; 35 grams protein; 5 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Step 2
Add the broccoli rabe and garlic cloves to the boiling water, cooking until the broccoli rabe is a vibrant green color, 60 to 90 seconds. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the broccoli rabe and garlic from the water, place into a bowl, then rinse with cold water and strain. Set aside. Leave the water in the pot and turn off heat.
- Step 3
Add 1 cup of the broccoli rabe and all of the garlic to a food processor and blend until broken down into very small pieces, scraping down the sides as needed, about 1 minute. Add the walnuts, ¾ cup of the Parmesan, half of the lemon juice and a pinch each of salt and pepper and blend into a thick paste. With the food processor on low, slowly add the olive oil, blending until the mixture becomes silky and smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed, then set aside.
- Step 4
Bring the pot of water back to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta water before straining the pasta. With the pot off the heat, add pasta, pesto, remaining broccoli rabe, remaining lemon juice and ¼ cup Parmesan, along with a splash of pasta water. Stir, adding more pasta water as needed, until a silky sauce coats the pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with more grated Parmesan on the side.
Private Notes
Comments
Hi Christa! "rough stems" refers to the very bottom of the stem, which is often thicker, rough and inedible. The rest of the stem is delicious and should be used in the recipe. Thank you! Dan
Some thoughts on technique and building flavor in case they’re helpful. - The edible part of the stems is green and solid inside. The woody part is hollow, white and dry inside. From bottom, cut stems until you reach the good section. Discard the woody bits. - Toasting the walnuts adds flavor. - Topping with fresh, dried breadcrumbs sautéed in garlic and a little salt gives a boost of flavor and texture. - I added spicy Italian sausage. Next time I will treat it as a topping (sausage, then parm, then breadcrumbs). I had tossed it with pesto along with the pasta and rapini and felt it masked the sausage flavor somewhat.
We loved this! It was fun to make and has so much flavor. I did up the health value of the dish by using cannellini beans instead of pasta. ( I have a dietetic husband so pasta is a rare treat.)
A great dish for "bits." Used prepared pesto (roughly 1 1/2 jars, including an open one) with two stalks of leftover broccolini and a little fresh basil blitzed in. Cut a package of brocolini into 1" lengths and par-boiled it in the future pasta water. Added broccolini and a can of cannelini beans (drained) to the pesto. Mixed pasta in with about 1/4C of pasta water (reserved 1/2C). Shredded asiago cheese for the top because we didn't have parmesan. Delicious!
Made with rigatoni as it stands up to the broccoli rabe better than farfalle and catches all of the pesto; doubled the garlic to 4 cloves and walnuts to 1 cup (toasted the walnuts); zest from the lemon; and chili flakes to taste. Also threw in a can of cannelini beans for extra protein. Did not add 1/4 cup Parmesan when tossing; instead served with a squeeze of lemon and olive oil, fresh ground pepper and Parmesan. Delicious!
As others suggested, cut the sugar to 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white. Also only 3/4 cup sugar in the frosting was plenty; increased lemon juice to 1.5 tablespoons. Might add lemon zest next time-and love the boozy raisins idea!