Broccoli & Rigatoni, a classic meatless meal
This meal is classic Mediterranean. You can find Broccoli and Rigatoni on many restaurant menus served as a main course. If you are one of the many diners that have enjoyed broccoli and rigatoni at restaurant prices, you are going to absolutely love this recipe. It is as good as you can get. And let’s talk about economical! This recipe has two main ingredients, a box of rigatoni and a pound of broccoli. How is that for a cheap meal?
Using vegetables as a main course
I was raised in a meat and potatoes family and jokingly refer to myself as a carnivore. I am not really a carnivore, I wait for the meat to be somewhat cooked 😉. At our house, meat and potatoes were usually served with a spoonful of canned vegetables on the side. Suffice to say, I would NOT have come home to see a bowl of broccoli and rigatoni on the table.
Ricky’s mother was of Mediterranean heritage and her nightly dinners typically included a lot of fresh vegetables. It is no surprise then that Ricky uses a variety of fresh vegetables in his dinners too. That’s one of the things I like best about his recipes. I also like that he cooks the vegetables in a way that preserves a lot of the natural flavor and nutrients. This recipe is an outstanding example of that. If you are looking for a simple and delicious, hearty meatless meal, this one won’t let you down.
Do you like broccoli?
Broccoli is one of the vegetables that’s always on the “foods we should eat” lists. No matter what the calamity, it seems broccoli can ward it off.
I have come to the reckoning that nutrition counts. And that means I need to eat more vegetables, more often. I am envious of people I know who never get their fill of vegetables. They really love them. I want to love them too. One the roadblocks on the way to learning to love vegetables is not knowing what to do with them. I need recipes that make a vegetable I want to love, loveable. This pasta dish with broccoli has won me over. Who knew I could like broccoli without it being smothered in cheese? With only a few ingredients, this recipe is simple to make and simply delicious.
If this recipe can make me like broccoli, other doubters may find they can like broccoli too. Maybe you or someone at your dinner table has snubbed broccoli in the past. This recipe might work it’s magic on you too. What’s to loose? Your investment is the price of a pound of broccoli and a box of pasta. This is a quick, easy and inexpensive way to see if you too might enjoy the taste and health benefits of broccoli.
Here’s what YOU WILL NEED:
| 1 large head of broccoli (about 1 pound) |
| 8 whole cloves of fresh garlic |
| 1 ½ cups water |
| ¼ cup olive oil |
| 2 teaspoons dried oregano |
| 1 teaspoon salt |
| 1 teaspoon black pepper |
| 1 pound rigatoni |
| Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional |
About the ingredients
See the dried oregano on the plate with the salt and pepper? It doesn’t look like the kind you get in a jar from the store. That’s my own homegrown oregano. I grow a small variety of the herbs that I use most often.
I get a sense of satisfaction from using herbs that I have grown myself. The enjoyment I get in using them and the flavor boost I get in my cooking, makes it is well worth the little effort it takes to grow them. You don’t need a whole garden, you only need a few plant pots to grow herbs. You can see my fresh oregano growing, along with some other herbs in Back Porch Herb Garden.
We have some more information about cooking with herbs, fresh vs dried, in our posts Cooking with Herb and It’s Drying Time Again. Both posts can be found in CLAUDIA’S COOKING TIPS GALLERY. If you read any of our herb posts, you will easily see I am hooked on growing herbs.
Why whole garlic cloves?
Leaving the garlic cloves whole, work best in this recipe. If possible, don’t substitute whole cloves with bottled chopped or minced garlic. You get a more mild flavor from cooked whole garlic cloves. The ingredients in this recipe are mild in flavor. So the taste of garlic flavor needs to be subtle or it will take over.
When the garlic cloves have finished the job of flavoring the broth during steaming, they will be very tender. The simmered and seasoned broth is going to be used as a sauce for the pasta. The softened cloves break up as you mix in the sauce and leave a subtle and mellow garlic flavor.
Don’t forget the cheese
This dish is made even better when served with freshly grated parmesan cheese on top. Pre-grated cheeses are no match for cheese grated from the block. Pre-grated cheese purchased from the grocery store is good enough in a pinch, but for this meal I only use the real thing. The richness of flavor and creamy texture from freshly grated parmesan really enhances the more subtle flavors of the broccoli and pasta. Ricky sprinkles his serving with red pepper flakes too. Both of these condiments can really ramp up the flavor.
This is WHAT TO DO:
Have you ever steamed vegetables?
Have you ever used a steaming basket? Steaming is a good cooking method to use when you want to preserve the appearance and the food value of vegetables. In this recipe we are steaming broccoli. If you are not familiar with using steam for cooking, you might consider reading our post Steaming …. Fully Exposed. In it we talk about the ins and outs of this cooking technique.
Most pan sets will include a steaming basket that fits perfectly into one of the saucepans. If you don’t have a saucepan/steaming basket set, there are alternative types of steaming baskets of all kinds that you can use. Our post Steaming …. Fully Exposed will show you some inexpensive alternatives to the saucepan and steaming basket duo made for steaming.
Prepare the broccoli and garlic
If you want to learn more about how to prepare broccoli we have a COOKING TIDBIT for you. Check out Preparing Broccoli. It walks you though taking a head of broccoli and cutting it up into florets.
Divide the head of broccoli into pieces you can work with. If you are going to use the stalk you should peel the skin off before you chop it up. Broccoli can look pretty fancy when served with the florets (the fuzzy tops) in tact. Since rigatoni is such a hearty pasta, florets of broccoli do not dominate the plate when served.
Cut the broccoli into bite sized pieces that are uniform in size. That ensures all the pieces will be done at the same time. Stating the obvious, the larger you chop, the pieces, the longer it will take to cook.
Peel the skin off the whole garlic cloves.
You can chop the broccoli as small or as large as you want, just keep the size uniform for even cooking.
Make the steaming broth
The broth has a duel role
It’s not necessary to make a broth for steaming. It’s pretty typical to use just water. But in this recipe we are going to use a seasoned broth to generate the steam that will cook the broccoli. The steam mingles the flavors of the broccoli and the seasoned broth right from the start.
Then when the broth finishes the work of steaming, it’s going to be mixed into the rigatoni as a sauce. The broth does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to the flavor of this dish. It’s the difference between a good plate of broccoli and rigatoni and a great one!
Making the broth could not be easier. Add the water, olive oil, whole garlic cloves, oregano, salt and pepper to the saucepan that you are using to steam the broccoli.
All the ingredients for the steaming broth are in the saucepan. Before we start steaming the broccoli we are going to simmer the broth for about 1/2 hour to integrate all the flavors.
Bring the broth to a boil, then cover the saucepan with a tight lid. Turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes (1/2 and hour).
This is the steaming broth after simmering for 1/2 an hour. As you can see, the water and oil are somewhat incorporated. The dried oregano is rehydrating in the warm liquid. The garlic cloves are already getting tender as they steep.
There’s a lot of flavor in the broth already.
Steam the broccoli with the broth
Let’s start steaming
Put the chopped broccoli in your steaming basket, leaving as much room between the pieces as possible. Place your steaming basket in the saucepan with the steaming broth.
Here’s the chopped broccoli in the steaming basket. And the steaming basket has been put in saucepan with the broth.
If you have read our post about steaming, you may recognize my 50+ year old 5 quart saucepan. If you missed it, you can read more about steaming and the value of tried and true kitchen equipment in Steaming …. Fully Exposed.
Bring the broth to a boil on medium heat. Once the broth is boiling, cover the saucepan with a tight fitting lid. If steam starts escaping from under the cover, turn the heat down. Steam is water evaporating. If you let too much steam out of your saucepan you are going to be left with a burned saucepan and no sauce.
Is it done yet?
Well that’s really up to you.
How tender the broccoli should be is a personal choice. Many people like some crunch left in their cooked vegetables. Others prefer it tender. Cooking time is going to vary depending on how you like your broccoli and the size that you cut the broccoli pieces. The more tender you want the broccoli, the more time it will need to cook.
After about 10 minutes of steaming, check the broccoli to see if it’s done. Be very careful as you remove the cover. Quite a bit of steam pressure has built up in the saucepan, as the liquid has been boiling. That pressure is going to cause steam to blow up and out in all directions as soon as you remove the cover. Protect your forearm with a long oven mit or towel. And don’t expose your face to the steam by leaning over the saucepan as you uncover it. Steam will burn exposed skin immediately and a burn from steam can be very painful, even dangerous. .
After you have safely removed the cover from the saucepan, check the broccoli in the steaming basket to see if it is done. I just poke it with a fork to find out if it’s done. If you are not sure, there is a fool proof way to tell if it is cooked enough. Eat a piece. Keep the cover off the pan for as little time as possible. Remember, steam is evaporating and you are losing heat. If the broccoli needs to cook more, put the cover back on the saucepan to continue steaming. Check again in 3 to 5 minutes.
Cook the rigatoni
Now that you have the broccoli on the stove cooking, it’s time to start cooking the rigatoni. Drain the pasta when it’s done and put it back in the saucepan. If you are still steaming the broccoli add a splash of olive oil to the pasta to keep it from sticking together.
Here is our cooked pasta which has been drained.
The broccoli is cooked and the steaming broth that was used to steam it is in the saucepan behind it.
Add the broth to the rigatoni
Mix the rigatoni and the steaming broth together.
The softened garlic cloves are going to break up as you stir the broth into the pasta and disperse and leave a mild garlic flavor throughout.
The steaming broth and pasta are mixed together. You can see some pieces of garlic along the sides of the saucepan and some plumped up oregano leaves too.
Time to add the broccoli
As the final step, add the cooked broccoli to your pasta.
If appearance counts, turn the broccoli in gently. That will help to keep the florets (fuzzy tops) intact. If you don’t care if the broccoli looks pretty, you don’t have to be as gentle when you are mixing the broccoli into the rigatoni. If your broccoli breaks up in the pasta as you mix, the meal will taste just as good. Maybe even better.
Serve immediately, while it’s still hot.
Serve
Broccoli and Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 1 head broccoli large about ¾ to 1 pound
- 8 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 ½ cup water
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound rigatoni
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- Chop the broccoli into uniform pieces, sized to your liking. Uniform sizes will ensure the pieces are all be done at the same time.
- Peel the cloves of garlic and leave whole.
Cooking Instructions
- Use a large saucepan that fits a steaming basket. Put all the steaming broth ingredients; garlic, water, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper into the pan. Bring the broth to a boil, then cover the pan with a tight fitting lid, turn the heat down and simmer for 1/2 hour (30 minutes).
- While the broth is simmering put some water on to boil the pasta.
- After simmering the broth, remove the saucepan from the heat. Put the steaming basket, with the chopped broccoli in it into the saucepan. Put the pan on medium heat. When the broth comes to a boil cover with a tight fitting lid. If steam starts escaping, turn the heat down, but keep the broth at a boil. You need to maintain enough steam in the pan to cook the broccoli.
- Check broccoli after about 10 minutes to see how tender it is. It usually takes about 15 minutes, but your idea of tender enough, can mean more or less time. If you need to cook more, just put the cover back on and steam some more. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes longer before checking again.
- While the broccoli is cooking, boil the pasta. Drain when cooked. If the pasta is done before the broccoli, toss some olive oil into the pasta to keep it from sticking.
- When the broccoli is done to your preference, take the steaming basket out of the pan, leaving the broccoli in it and set it aside.
- Add the steaming broth (not the broccoli yet) to the cooked pasta and toss in.
- Add the cooked broccoli to the pasta. If you want the broccoli florets to be kept in tact, gently fold the broccoli into the rigatoni, If the broccoli is on the tender side will break up pretty easily as you mix it in. The dish tastes just as good if the broccoli brakes up a bit into pasta. maybe even better.