Try This Quick And Healthy Casarecce Pasta Recipe

Here, we show you how to make them with a quick, healthy, and tasty sauce with broccoli rabe, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. You can make this casarecce recipe in less than 30 minutes, top it with feta, ricotta, or a non-dairy cheese alternative, and have it as a delicious lunch or dinner. Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian and vegan diet if using non-dairy cheese.Don’t have time to read the full blog post? JUMP TO RECIPE HERE!

What is casarecce pasta?

Ingredients and substitutions for casarecce pasta

How to cook casarecce pasta

Variations

Serving suggestions

Storage & Make Ahead

More easy pasta recipes

Like trofie, orecchiette, and cavatelli, casarecce are made with durum wheat semolina flour and water and don’t contain eggs, making them suitable for vegans and vegetarians. It is possible that the Sicilians learned this particular pasta-making technique from the Arabs who occupied the island from 827 to 1091. Nowadays, casarecce are mostly made by machines and can be found in most supermarkets from the United States to Australia. You can make casarecce with your favorite sauce, pesto, or vegetables. Here, we show you a simple, healthy, and delicious recipe from southern Italy. It’s with broccoli rabe, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives, topped with feta or non-dairy feta cheese.

Casarecce: substitute rotini, fusilli, orecchiette, cavatelli, trofie, penne, or any other short pasta type. Use gluten-free pasta to make the recipe without gluten. Broccoli rabe: substitute rapini, broccolini, broccoli florets, chopped kale, and spinach. Olives: we use olive taggiasche from Italy. Greek Kalamata olives are also a good option. Sun-dried tomatoes in oil add a beautiful savory flavor. Garlic: we recommend fresh garlic. Red pepper flakes: substitute a finely chopped fresh chili. Extra virgin olive oil: substitute regular olive oil. Salt and black pepper: we recommend sea salt or kosher salt. Feta cheese: substitute non-dairy feta, ricotta, non-dairy-ricotta, or vegan cheese.

Start with the sauce

Trim and discard the thicker stems of the broccoli rabe. Chop the leaves and thinner stems into small chunks and rinse them with water. Set aside in a colander to drain. Tip: If you use broccolini or broccoli florets, you simply have to rinse them. In a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil. Add crushed garlic and red pepper flakes, and sauté for 1 minute without burning the garlic. Add the broccoli rabe to the pan, season with salt and black pepper, and sauté on medium heat for 3 minutes. Now, add 1/2 cup water, cover with a lid, and cook for 15 minutes or until soft. Check once or twice to ensure the pan isn’t dry, and add more water if necessary. When the broccoli rabe is cooked, remove the garlic, stir in the olives and chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and cook for about 1 minute.

Cook and add the pasta.

Cook the casarecce according to the package instructions minus one minute in a large pot with plenty of salted boiling water. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water, drain the pasta, and add it to the pan with the vegetables. Add 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water and toss the pasta in the sauce for about 1 minute or until most of the liquid on the pan is gone. Tip: When you drain the casarecce, they should be slightly undercooked so that you have time to toss them with the sauce without overcooking them. Turn the heat off and add most of the feta or non-dairy feta, crumbling it as you add it. Toss for a few seconds, then taste and adjust for salt. You can add olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper, and optionally a grating of lemon zest. Serve the pasta on a plate with a final sprinkling of crumbled feta or non-dairy feta on top. This twist on traditional orecchiette with broccoli rabe is a quick, easy, and delicious recipe for trying something new. Here’s our orecchiette with broccoli rabe recipe.

Side Salad

Arugula Salad

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Zucchini Salad

Cook in plenty of heavily salted water: water for cooking pasta should be plenty and should be well salted. Use a large pot, and don’t be shy with the salt. Here are some guidelines for cooking pasta to perfection:

8 ounces of pasta (230 grams): cook pasta in 2 quarts of boiling water (8 cups or 2 Liters) with 1 tablespoon of salt (15 grams). Serves 2 – 3 people. 12 ounces of pasta (340 grams): cook pasta in 3 quarts of boiling water (12 cups or 3 Liters) with 1 ½ tablespoons of salt (21 grams). Serves 4 people. 1 pound of pasta (450 grams): cook pasta in 1 gallon of boiling water (16 cups or 4 Liters) with 2 tablespoons of salt (30 grams). Serves 5-6 people.

In this case, drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water for 10 seconds to prevent overcooking. Toss it with the other ingredients in a bowl off the heat. Taste and adjust for salt and cheese, and you have a delicious meal-prep-friendly recipe that is also good for picnics and potlucks. Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 24 hours. Freezer: This recipe is not suitable for freezing. Reheat: We reheat pasta in the microwave for 2 minutes. Alternatively, do so on a pan with a drizzle of olive oil.