Spicy Broccoli Rabe Pasta

By Alexa Weibel

Updated April 8, 2026

  • Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
40 min
Rating
4(43)
Comments
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Luscious and glossy, this vegan broccoli rabe pasta makes the most of a restrained ingredient list and a classic technique of blending sautéed onions for a flavorful sauce, a versatile practice used in sunny Bangladeshi shrimp dopiaza and rich French soubise. Here, whizzing sautéed onions with miso and olive oil creates a silky sauce that adds umami — and a hint of sweetness — to the vegetable-packed pasta, which is really more greens than noodles. There’s plenty of texture in this dish, but if you’d like to fancy it up a bit, these nutritional yeast bread crumbs are a great addition, crisped in olive oil or butter. This recipe was created with vegans in mind, but it’s equally wonderful if you’re an omnivore who happens to be craving a delicious vegetable-heavy pasta on a weeknight.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • Salt and pepper

  • 2 bunches broccoli rabe (about ¾ pound each), trimmed

  • 1 pound spaghetti or linguine

  • ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for serving

  • 2 medium yellow onions (about 8 ounces each), minced (about 2 ½ cups)

  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (or chile crisp; see Tip)

  • 3 tablespoons white miso paste

  • 1 lemon, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

71 grams carbs; 505 calories; 12 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 693 milligrams sodium; 16 grams protein; 6 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

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Using tongs, transfer the broccoli rabe to a colander, rinse with cold water to cool, then transfer to a cutting board and thinly slice it.

  2. Step 2

    Let the water come back to a boil then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 ¾ cups pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

  3. Step 3

    While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce: Heat ⅓ cup olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium. Add the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are totally soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender along with the miso and 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and blend until smooth, adding a few extra tablespoons pasta water if necessary for a silky texture. 

  4. Step 4

    Transfer the sauce to the skillet. Add the sliced broccoli rabe, season generously with salt and pepper and stir over medium for 2 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Add the cooked pasta, ½ cup pasta water and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss vigorously until glossy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  5. Step 5

    Transfer to serving plates or bowls, top with any broccoli rabe remaining in the pot. If you like, crown each bowl with a glug of olive oil, and zest some lemon over and spritz with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Tip

  • If you’d like more heat, skip the crushed red pepper in the sauce and instead serve the pasta with chile crisp, drizzling it on top of the pasta to taste.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
43 user ratings
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Comments

Chris

I prefer my original recipe: blanch b. raabe. press out water. chop into 1" long pieces. (This recipe chops too finely for my taste.) fry in generous amount of olive oil with chili flakes, salt and pepper and big pieces of garlic until cooked through and garlic is browning to get bitter. pour over pasta. toss. add parmesan. remove garlic if you don't want to eat it. no need for miso or onions IMHO, though i can see how someone would like this.

Eileen

I’ve been making a simpler version for years. Saute broccoli rabe with garlic, a slab of butter, olive oil, red pepper flakes and spike seasoned salt or rock salt. I often add cremini or white button mushrooms. When pasts is al dente stir in together and toss. I change the pasta up sometimes, thin whole wheat spaghetti, whole wheat or tri-color rotini... it’s all good. Top off with parmesan or a shake of nutritional yeast for vegans. So good!

Kathleen

This flavorable pureed sauce is fantastic and highly adaptable. I'm planning to make the pasta at some point, but I had a pot of navy beans and some kale--so I sauteed the kale, added the sauce, and piled it all on top of the beans. Delicious!

Maurissa

Should I include all the leaves on my broccoli rabe, or does “trim” mean to remove them?

Thomas Nitido

Terrific recipe. Really delicious. The instructions have you prepare the sauce while the pasta cooks. Since the pasta takes ten minutes and the sauce 15 plus blending, the pasta will need to reheat in the pan with the sauce. Alternately, you can delay putting the pasta in the water until the sauce is about half done.

Liv

Question: My local grocery store never seems to carry broccoli rabe. What would be a good substitute?

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