Gemelli, Campanelle and Fusilli work well too.
If you love the traditional Italian combination of greens and beans, add 7 oz of canned (cooked) cannellini beans immediately before the broccoli rabe greens. Adapted from the Pasta Shell Risotto with Broccoli Rabe recipe on the Epicurious website.
Ingredients
1.5 cups homemade vegetable broth
1.5 cups water
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 bunch broccoli rabe
2 Tbl olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 garlic cloves, chopped
4 oz pasta shells
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Optional: 7 oz cannellini beans
Method
- Bring broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Simmer.
- Prep broccoli rabe: trim stem ends from broccoli rabe, then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Coarsely chop florets and leaves.
- Heat oil on medium-high, and sauté onion with salt until softened, 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté 1 minute.
- Add pasta, broccoli rabe stems, and 3/4 cup hot broth and simmer briskly, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding hot broth, about 3/4 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until pasta is almost al dente and creamy-looking, approx. 13 minutes.
- Stir in remaining broccoli rabe and pepper and cook, stirring, until pasta is al dente and broccoli rabe is tender, about 3 minutes. If needed, add more hot broth to moisten; there will be some broth left over.
- Serve in bowls. Sprinkle top with cheese.
Serves 2
Approximately 415 calories per serving of Pasta Shell Risotto with Broccoli Rabe.