Broccoli Rabe Pasta with Balsamic, Oil-Free
Servings: 3
Calories: 343kcal
Broccoli Rabe is sauted without oil and combined with onion, garlic, and cherry tomatoes, drizzeld with balsamic for a delicious healthy vegetable dish to toss in with your favorite pasta.
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry pasta see notes for suggestions
- ½ cup vegetable broth may need more
- 1 cup onions sliced thin, see notes
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 6 cups broccoli rabe can also use broccolini
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup fresh basil sliced
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Start to boil the water for the pasta according to the package directions. Boil a separate pot of water to blanch the broccolini rabe. You can prepare/cook the other ingredients while the water is boiling and the pasta is cooking.
- Prepare the vegetables by chopping the broccoli rabe including the leaves and some of the stems. Avoid and hard stems near the bottom of the plant. Slice the onion, wash the tomatoes, chop the garlic, and slice the fresh basil into thin strips. Set all aside seperately.
- Cook the pasta according to directions. If you can time it to be done the same time that the broccoli rabe has finished that would be awesome. Otherwise, remove from the heat and drain. Set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking blanch the broccoli rabe by adding to a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Run under cold water immediately afterwards to stop the cooking process. Allow to drain well. If you are subbing in broccolini, you won't need to do this step.
- Line a large sauté pan with one half cup of vegetable broth. Add the sliced onion and garlic. Sauté for about 2 minutes and then add the cherry tomatoes. Continue salting for 2 more minutes.
- Add the blanched broccoli rabe to the sautéed vegetables. Continue sautéing or another 5 minutes or until broccoli rabe is tender and the tomatoes have started to blister.
- Add in the balsamic vinegar and sliced basil leaves. Cover and remove from heat until the pasta has finished cooking.
- Toss the broccoli rabe mixture together with the pasta. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve alone, with a drizzle of olive oil, your favorite pasta sauce, or try my amazing vegan alfredo. Links are in the notes,
Notes
I like to use a small shaped pasta like rigatoni, corkscrew, or cavatappi.
I like to use red onion or shallots for this recipe
We blanch the broccolini to remove the slightly bitter taste.
You can also use broccolini or broccoli. If I can get broccolini, I'll use it instead. No need to blanch the broccolini as it is milder in taste than broccoli rabe. Same with broccoli, no need to blanch first.
Salt is to taste and not included in the nutritional information.
This can be served as is. Here are some other tasty options:
- Drizzle with a little olive oil (won't be oil-free then!)
- Add your favorite pasta sauce. Try my homemade oil-free pasta sauce here.
- Toss together with my vegan and oil-free Alfredo sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 537mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2531IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 3mg