Pugliese Orecchiette with Roasted Broccoli & Cannellini Beans
Discover the essence of Puglia with this Pasta with Broccoli recipe. Try our Pugliese Orecchiette with Roasted Broccoli & Cannellini Beans for a wholesome, authentic Italian dish!
Ingredients
Pasta Ingredients
- 1 lb Orecchiette Pasta
- 1 Large Head of Broccoli, cut into florets (approx. 4-5 cups of florets)
- 15 oz Can of Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- ½ cup Olive Oil (used at different points of the recipe)
- ¼ cup Pecorino Romano, Grated
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Shredded Mozzarella
- Toasted Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumb Ingredients
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
Instructions
Pasta Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 °F
- Clean and cut broccoli into florets, try to keep them all similar in size.
- Add your broccoli florets to a sheet pan and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over them. Using your hands, toss the broccoli to coat each piece evenly. If the florets look too dry, drizzle with a little more olive oil and toss again until they're well-coated and glistening. Sprinkle Salt and Pepper over the Broccoli Florets.
- Roast the broccoli for 20-25 minutes so it is slightly caramelized, with crispy edges and tender centers.
- While the broccoli is roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook the pasta until al dente or to your preferred level of doneness. Move to the next step as the pasta cooks.
- While you wait for the broccoli and pasta to finish, prepare breadcrumbs. Skip to breadcrumb instructions and then return to the next step once complete.
- Using the now empty sauté pan used for the breadcumbs, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-low heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for about a minute. Lower the heat.
- Rinse and drain Cannellini beans.
- Remove roasted broccoli from the oven.
- Strain pasta. Add your oil, garlic, and red pepper flake mixture over the pasta and toss. Roughly chop your broccoli florets and add those to the pot, as well as the Cannellini beans. Add pecorino or parmigiano grated cheese to the pot and mix well to incoporate all ingredients.
- Taste, add salt, pepper, cheese, and extra drizzle of olive oil if required.
- I served each bowl with a topping of shredded mozzarella and a generous sprinkle of golden, crispy breadcrumbs for the perfect finishing touch.
Breadcrumb Instructions
- Add butter and garlic over medium-heat in a sauté pan.
- Once the butter is melted into the oil, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the breadcrumbs and stir so fully hydrated with the oil.
- Continue to stir over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until golden.
- Place in a bowl until ready to serve over pasta.
Notes
-½ cup of Olive Oil is an approximate amount used between the pasta recipe and toasted breadcrumbs, pay attention to the tablespoon measurements at each step.
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