Baked Alfredo Pasta With Broccoli Rabe and Lemon
Updated Jan. 30, 2020
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 8tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½cup panko bread crumbs
- 2cups finely grated Parmesan
- 1teaspoon fresh lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- Black pepper
- 1pound casarecce, cavatappi or other small tubed or curly pasta
- 1bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed, then cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1cup heavy cream
- 1small garlic clove, grated
- 6ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into ½-inch pieces
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
867 calories; 50 grams fat; 30 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 38 grams protein; 772 milligrams sodium
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
Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Place the butter in a 9-by-13-inch/3-quart pan or baking dish and transfer it to the oven to melt while the oven heats; remove it from the oven once it’s melted.
- Step 2
In a small bowl, stir together the panko, ¼ cup Parmesan and the lemon zest. Add 1 tablespoon of the melted butter from the baking pan, stir until the panko is moistened with butter, then season with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
When the water’s boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package instructions suggest. During the last minute of cooking, add the broccoli rabe. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and broccoli rabe.
- Step 4
Whisk the cream, garlic and pasta water into the melted butter in the baking dish until smooth. Add the remaining Parmesan in large handfuls, vigorously whisking until smooth and combined. Add the pasta, broccoli rabe and half the mozzarella. Taste, and season well with salt and pepper. Stir until very combined.
- Step 5
Top with the remaining mozzarella, then sprinkle evenly with the panko mixture. Bake until the mozzarella has melted and the panko is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
Private Notes
Comments
Huh, all these folks trying to get rid of broccoli rabe's bitterness. I'd say it's a good counterpoint to the richness of the overall dish.
I took the bait. I really regret that mozzarella was the cheese choice here. There are so many other cheeses to use.. why not something that keeps its "melt" better, and that has some sort of stronger flavor profile? Maybe something gruyere-ish, or even a white cheddar. The bitterness of the broc rabe was the most interesting thing about this. That said, the overall presentation looks great on the table, and the texture is fun. I'm gonna try it again, but with different cheeses.
My experience with broccoli rabe is that it can be extremely bitter. My Italian friend who is a great cook taught me to blanch it first (after you chop it) in LOTS of salted boiling water and then drain on a tea towel. I often use a spider strainer to scoop out the pasta then reserve some for the dish and then in the same water, cook the rabe for about 2 minutes.
do you think I could freeze this recipe?
Cooked as is and it was meh. Didn’t achieve a creamy texture throughout and diced mozzarella on top just clumped. I’m sure you could make tons of modifications to make it better, but if you’re doing that just go find a better recipe.
Has anyone tried this with half and half instead of heavy cream? Sounds good but I can't have heavy cream!
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