Healthy Pasta Recipes

You have seen this vegetable in the grocery store and passed it up because you did not know how to cook it. This is a surprisingly hearty pasta recipe answers that question. It is a hearty dish even though it has no meat. A favorite of the guys, another surprise. Healthy pasta recipes are quick and easy to prepare. Perfect for a work day dinner. This vegetable is also labeled as broccoli rabe or broccoletti.

Healthy Recipe Ingredients

1 lb rapini
1 lb penne pasta
3 Tablespoons exta virgin olive oil
1/3 cup sliced Kalamata olives
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese

Healthy Cooking Instructions

Boil enough water to cook the pasta.
Rinse the rapini and discard any damaged leaves. Trim away the lower tough portions on the stems.
Cut the rapini into 2″ inch pieces.
Drop the rapini in the boiling water.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, using a slotted spoon remove it and set aside.
At this time, also remove about 1/2 cup of the water from the pot.
Return the water to a boil, add the pasta.
Cook 11-13 minutes, just until ‘al dente’
Drain the pasta in a colander.
Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat.
Add the garlic, olive slices and pepper flakes.
Cook just until the garlic is light brown, it does not take long.
Add the rapini to the skillet along with the reserved water.
Cook an additional 3-5 minutes, until the rapini is tender.
Toss in the pasta and mix well. Cook another few minutes to heat all the ingredients thoroughly.
Sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan cheese when ready to serve.