Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

This is an easy breezy recipe that takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. It's healthy, beautiful, and quick. You may even have all the ingredients in your kitchen! Of course, it comes from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Cook Time: 30 minutes or less

Ingredients
- 1 bunch of broccoli rabe, about 1 1/2 pounds (substituted broccoli)
- 12 ounces orecchiette (substituted fusilli and used entire 16 oz)
- salt
-4 T olive oil, plus extra to finish
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (use more, say 4 or 5)
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- grated Parmesan
- lemon wedges

Preparation
While the pasta water is heating, peel the lower stems of the broccoli rabe, then add the whole bunch to boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove it with a strainer and coarsely chop. Start cooking the pasta in boiling salted water.

For the above step, to save time and water, I used pre-chopped broccoli so that it went from bag to boiling water without fuss. I also used the same pot and water to first cook the broccoli and then the pasta so that there would be less cleaning at the end.

Meanwhile, warm the oil, the garlic and pepper flakes in a wide skillet over medium heat until fragrant (until sliced garlic is a light toasty brown). Add the broccoli rabe and cook gently, occasionally adding a little pasta water to the pan so it does not dry out. Drain the pasta, add it directly into the greens, and toss with a spoonful of the extra virgin olive oil, salt to taste, and add a little Parmesan. Toss well and serve with additional dusting of cheese and wedge of lemon on each plate.