- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 400 g
- 500 g
- 4 cloves
- ½ tsp
- 5 tbsp
- 40 g
- 50 g
- 1 tbsp
- ¼ tsp
Process
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Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add 1 tbsp salt, and drop in the 500 g broccoli rabe. Blanch for 2 minutes, then lift out with tongs or a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander. Keep the water boiling for the pasta.
Add the 400 g orecchiette to the same boiling water and cook until 1 minute short of the package al dente time, about 9–10 minutes. Reserve 250 ml of the starchy cooking water before draining.
While the pasta cooks, heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the 4 chopped anchovy fillets and cook 1 minute, mashing them with a wooden spoon until they dissolve into the oil.
Add the 4 sliced garlic cloves and 0.5 tsp red chili flakes to the skillet and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Add the blanched broccoli rabe, season with 0.25 tsp black pepper, and toss for 3 minutes so the greens soak up the garlicky oil.
Pour in 120 ml of the reserved pasta water and simmer for 1 minute, then add the drained orecchiette. Toss vigorously over medium heat for 2 minutes, adding more pasta water a splash at a time, until the sauce clings to the pasta.
Remove from heat and stir in the zest and juice of 1 lemon and the 50 g grated parmesan. Taste and adjust salt.
In a small pan, toast the 40 g panko breadcrumbs in the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat for 2–3 minutes until deep golden. Scatter over the pasta and serve immediately with extra parmesan.
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- The most common mistake is skipping the blanch: raw broccoli rabe stays tough and bitter. Two minutes in boiling water tames the bitterness and lets it finish cooking in the pan.
- Do not brown the garlic. It should turn pale gold and smell sweet; if it darkens, the whole dish tastes acrid. Pull the pan off the heat for a few seconds if needed.
- The sauce is built on starchy pasta water, so reserve it before draining. Without it the anchovy oil sits at the bottom of the pan instead of coating the orecchiette.
- Orecchiette are done when the center is tender but still offers a slight bite; the cup shape traps the greens and breadcrumbs, so keep pieces whole.
Substitutions
- broccoli rabe→broccoli florets or chopped kale (blanch kale only 1 minute)
- anchovy fillets→1 tbsp white miso paste for a vegetarian version
- panko breadcrumbs→coarse fresh breadcrumbs from day-old bread
- parmesan→pecorino romano for a sharper, saltier finish
Storage & reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with 1-2 tbsp water, covered, for 4-5 minutes until steaming; the microwave works but softens the pasta. Keep the toasted breadcrumbs separate and add them after reheating so they stay crisp. Do not freeze: the greens become mushy and the pasta turns grainy.
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why is my broccoli rabe still bitter after cooking?
Bitterness comes from undercooking and from the thick stems. Blanch the greens for a full 2 minutes in well-salted water, then split any stems thicker than a pencil before adding them to the skillet. The anchovy, garlic and lemon in the sauce are there specifically to balance the remaining pleasant bitterness.
Can I make orecchiette with greens ahead of time?
You can blanch the broccoli rabe and toast the breadcrumbs up to 2 days ahead, storing them separately in the fridge and at room temperature. Boil the pasta and build the sauce just before serving, because the dish loses its glossy texture once it sits. If you must assemble early, reheat gently with a splash of water.
What can I use instead of anchovies?
Use 1 tbsp white miso paste or 2 tbsp chopped capers for a similar savory depth without fish. Add either one at the same stage as the anchovies so it melts into the oil. The dish will taste slightly different but still well seasoned.
How do I know when the orecchiette are cooked?
Bite one: it should be tender through the center with a faint resistance at the core, and the white dot inside should be almost gone. Check 1 minute before the package time, since orecchiette continue cooking in the skillet. Overcooked pasta will collapse and turn gluey when tossed with the greens.
Can I use frozen or canned greens instead of fresh broccoli rabe?
Frozen broccoli rabe works: cook it straight from frozen in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain well and squeeze out excess moisture. Canned greens are too soft and salty for this dish, so if using them, skip the blanch and add them only in the final minute of tossing.
Why did my sauce turn out dry instead of coating the pasta?
You likely drained the pasta without saving enough cooking water. The starch in that water emulsifies the olive oil and anchovy into a sauce; without it the oil pools at the bottom. Reserve at least 250 ml and add it gradually while tossing over medium heat until the orecchiette look glossy.
Is this dish vegetarian if I leave out the anchovies?
Yes, if you also use a vegetarian hard cheese, since traditional parmesan contains animal rennet. Replace the anchovies with white miso or capers and check that your parmesan is labeled vegetarian. The lemon and chili still give the greens plenty of punch.
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