Pasta with Broccolini and Toasted Breadcrumbs is economical, fast, and just happens to taste like it came from an elegant Italian restaurant!
Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated. But it does need to be delicious, and in fact some of the greatest recipes of world cuisine happen to be incredibly simple, like pasta with broccolini.
This Italian pasta dish makes brilliant use of good quality olive oil, red pepper flakes, and anchovies for layers of flavor, along with deeply toasted breadcrumbs for texture and crunch. A green veg like broccolini makes it feel like a complete meal, and best of all, it can be ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta!
cookbook alert!
Pasta with broccolini (with a few tweaks) comes from Giulia Scarpaleggia’s Cucina Povera: The Italian Way of Transforming Humble Ingredients into Unforgettable Meals. It’s a wonderful dive into the world of what Scarpaleggia calls “Italian peasant cooking”, characterized by “the use of humble ingredients, season vegetables, and simple cooking techniques, along with a healthy dose of imagination.”
I found so many recipes I can’t wait to try in this book – they are especially inspiring if you’re someone who is always looking to eek out a weeknight meal with whatever you’ve got in the fridge or the pantry (but need it fast and don’t want to sacrifice flavor!)
add bold flavor to pasta broccolini the Italian way
This recipe is a master-class in the fine Italian art of creating bold, delicious flavors out of simple ingredients. Take note, and use these tips for other dishes, too.
- Good quality olive oil is a sauce in and of itself!
- Experiment with the many different types on supermarket shelves now: an “robust” extra virgin oil would be perfect for this dish.
- Anchovies, especially the good kind packed in oil, add major flavor and don’t have to be overpowering or “fishy.” Try them on a homemade pizza, in salad dressings, and in dishes like this pasta with broccolini.
- A few anchovy filets go a long way in adding umami flavors, but if you didn’t know they were there, you probably wouldn’t detect them.
- Red pepper flakes add a hint of heat without making this dish “spicy.” Feel free to omit if you prefer.
- But really, the toasted breadcrumbs make this dish. Toasting them only takes a minute but adds so much depth of flavor and amazing texture to this dish.
- Look for good quality breadcrumbs at the store. Sometimes, grocery stores that have a bakery section will sell breadcrumbs made from their house-baked bread.
- You can also always make your own.
- A sprinkling of aged parmesan cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon are also great ways of adding flavor to an otherwise bland bowl of pasta.
pop quiz ~ broccoli vs broccolini vs broccoli rabe?
They’re all healthy cruciferous veggies and any of them be used in this pasta with broccolini recipe.
Broccoli: a veggie with a thick stalk and tight green florets; mild flavor, great steamed, roasted, or raw. Available year round.
Broccolini: a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese broccoli; sweeter, more tender, with long stems and small florets. Best from early spring through summer.
Broccoli rabe: despite the name, it’s not true broccoli, but a leafy cruciferous veggie—related to turnips. Broccoli rabe (rapini) is in season during cooler months like early spring, fall and early winter.
Pasta with Broccolini and Toasted Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, here's how to make your own breadcrumbs!
- 2 Tbsp olive oil , (plus more for dressing)
- 1 lb dry pasta, any shape you like
- 2 bunches broccolini, trimmed and roughly chopped (about 3 cups loosely packed chopped broccolini)
- 4 anchovy filets, packed in oil
- red pepper flakes, to taste
- salt and black pepper, to taste
optional garnish
- squeeze of lemon
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, toast the 1/2 cup breadcrumbs in 2 Tbsp olive oil until they turn a rich golden brown. The breadcrumbs can burn easily, so don't walk away from the stove, and keep them moving the whole time. Set aside.
- Add your 1 lb dry pasta to the boiling water, and when it's about halfway done cooking (around 5 minutes for most commercial pastas), add the 2 bunches broccolini.
- Continue to cook the broccolini and pasta together until the pasta is al dente and the broccolini is soft but not mushy. Drain, and set aside.
- In the same pan you toasted your breadrumbs in, heat a couple more tablespoons of olive oil. Add the 4 anchovy filets, packed in oil and red pepper flakes, to taste and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the pasta to your saucepan to coat in the oil and mix everything together. Do this in two batches if your pan isn't big enough for the whole pan of pasta. Add more olive oil as necessary to dress the pasta generously. Add salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Top with the toasted breadcrumbs and serve immediately. A squeeze of lemon and a shower of parmesan goes nicely with this dish, too!
Nutrition
more super simple pasta dinners
