Spaghetti With Broccoli Rabe, Toasted Garlic and Bread Crumbs

By Mark Bittman

Spaghetti With Broccoli Rabe, Toasted Garlic and Bread Crumbs
Evan Sung for The New York Times
Total Time
20 to 30 minutes
Rating
5(842)
Comments
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Broccoli rabe can take whatever you throw at it and still shine. Its mild but distinctive bitterness dominates almost anything you cook it with — but what’s wrong with that? So a pasta sauce that features it teamed with garlic and chili flakes is a natural. Add bread crumbs for crunch and the dish is a real winner. You can use the same pot for cooking the broccoli and the pasta; you can use the same skillet for toasting the bread crumbs and finishing the dish. The whole thing will be done within 20 or 30 minutes, and it will showcase broccoli rabe beautifully, as it deserves.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • Salt
  • ½cup extra virgin olive oil, more as needed
  • 3 or 4cloves of garlic, peeled and slivered
  • 1cup bread crumbs, preferably homemade
  • ¼teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • About 1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and washed
  • 1pound spaghetti, linguine or other long pasta
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. When oil is warm, cook garlic just until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add bread crumbs and red pepper flakes and cook until bread crumbs are golden, 5 minutes or so. Remove and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Cook broccoli rabe in boiling water until it is soft, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain well and chop. Cook pasta in same pot.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, add remaining oil to skillet over medium-low heat. Add broccoli rabe and toss well; sprinkle with salt and pepper. When it is warm add garlic and bread crumbs and mix well.

  4. Step 4

    When pasta is done, drain it, reserving a little cooking water. Toss pasta in skillet with broccoli rabe mixture, moistening with a little reserved water if necessary. Adjust seasonings and serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

Ratings

5 out of 5
842 user ratings
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Comments

David M

In Puglia (Apulia) this is often made with thick, round orecchiette pasta which are cooked together with the broccoli rabe like a risotto, that is, continuously adding just enough boiling water to keep the pasta covered. The heat can be turned off for the final few minutes with the pot covered to absorb the last of the water. The result is a creamier broccoli sauce. Regular broccoli works, but is different. A bit of anchovy is often added at the start for more flavor if there are no vegetarians.

Diana

Made this a number of times w/these mods: blanch broccoli rabe for 2 minutes only, chop; before adding garlic to oil, sauté 2 anchovies and when dissolved, add garlic and then panko and red pepper flakes (thanks Melissa Clark, great idea); toss broccoli rabe in remaining hot oil to heat, add cooked spaghetti, salt liberally, toss with cheese, add enough pasta water to thin; don’t add toasted crumbs to pan, but sprinkle them on top of plates of spaghetti/br/cheese mix to keep the crumbs crispy.

gk

Not bad, but I would cut back on the amount of oil and bread crumbs (too greasy) and increase the amount of garlic and red pepper next time, maybe even add a little lemon zest

suzanne

I found this to be too dry, kinda boring.

Lfin

Pretty good, needed lemon. Added some zest to the bread crumbs and a squeeze on top

Michael E.

I've made variations on this dish for years. Quite frankly, I never blanch the broccoli rabe, but just rough chop it and throw it directly into the pan. I find it wilts just fine, like many other greens. I agree with the addition of anchovies (or anchovy paste as it really enhances the flavor. I also sometimes riff on this and add chopped, sundried tomatoes.Fresh ground black pepper and grated parmesan are a must! Delicious dish!

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