When it comes to fast food, most people probably don’t think of whole wheat pasta tossed with garlic and rapini. But I do! One of my favorite under thirty-minute-meals is a quick and healthy pasta dish with veggies, lots of fresh garlic, and additions of anything from cherry tomatoes, olives and fresh basil, to roasted pine nuts, capers or anchovies. And I’m not sure what my Sicilian mother would think of this, but I’ll even toss in baked tofu for a little added protein!
In the time it takes to make a burger, you could be serving up an elegant and healthy pasta dish with fresh herbs and your favorite flavors.
So whether it’s penne pasta and spinach, or linguini and mustard greens – just get the pasta in the pot and get tossing your “fast food!”
Pasta with Rapini and Garlic
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti or favorite pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves fresh garlic chopped, sliced or crushed
- 1 bunch fresh rapini or favorite greens, cleaned and roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano or Romano cheese (I prefer Pecorino)
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- In large pot, boil spaghetti according to package directions.
- While pasta is cooking, in cast iron (or heavy skillet) pan, heat olive oil on medium and add garlic for about 30 seconds.
- Toss in rapini and cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until slightly tender.
- If pasta sticks to pan, add about 1/4 cup of pasta liquid and continue to toss. You can also use a little white wine, or a bit of both.
- Transfer to serving platter and toss with more Parmigiano cheese.
- Serve immediately!
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HI, I am about to try this recipe and step 3 seems a bit odd. I can’t understand the “if pasta stick to pan”. The step is talking about adding the rapini to the cast iron pan. Maybe it should be “if rapini sticks to pan”.
Hello! I’ve revised the instructions for clarity. Thanks for the question. Once the pasta is added to the pan with the rapini, additional pasta water can be added to help the pasta (or any of the ingredients) from sticking to the pan. I hope that helps.
GG
This recipe is not very useful. You should either steam or blanch the rapini, drain them well , then, whilst the pasta cooks put a pan with a generous glut is olive oil, one or two garlic cloves split in two that you will later remove , 2-3 anchovies per 100 gr of pasta and stir until the anchiovies are dissolved . At that stage you toss in the rapini and stir for half a minute and add in the pasta and keep stirring for a few seconds . The rapini should be soft, the garlic bits should be removed , otherwise it will overpower the taste of the rapini, which is very delicate . And finally, don’t forget to put the salt in the water you use to cook the pasta or the thing will not taste as it should !
Hi there! Thanks for sharing your input (although a bit negative at the start). 🙂
I find that blanching is not always necessary, especially for folks who prefer their greens on the al dente side (which I do). As you can see in the image, the greens look perfectly tender. And I like anchovy paste tossed in there too, but not everyone does. Finally, I don’t like to remove garlic bits – in fact I prefer big chunks of garlic. But that’s definitely an option for those who prefer less.
The beauty of this quick pasta toss is that it’s simple and delicious, without added steps. There are a variety of ways to cook, and I appreciate it all!
GG
Your recipe is just fine as is .. I like the chunks of garlic too. Just not sure where the red pepper was added . I think browning with garlic?
Loved this!! It’s a meal right up my alley. The only think I did differently is I put a lid on the rapini for about 3 minutes and then took it off and cooked off the moisture..Deliscious!
Perfect! Thanks for sharing and glad you enjoyed! 💛