One of the great things about baked pastas is that you can get two different textures in one dish. Take the typical pasta Alfredo that’s prepared in a skillet: It’s delightfully creamy and lush, but the same, bite after bite. But add a green vegetable, pile it into a dish, top it with melty cheese and crunchy breadcrumbs, then bake it, and you get a vegetarian dinner that’s got it all. If broccoli rabe isn’t your thing, you can easily substitute it with asparagus or broccoli florets.
Baked Alfredo Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Lemon
Ingredients:
• Kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 cups Parmesan, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• Black pepper
• 1 pound casarecce, cavatappi or other small tubed or curly pasta
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Directions:
Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Place the butter in a 9-by-13-inch pan or baking dish and transfer it to the oven to melt while the oven heats; remove it from the oven once it’s melted.
In a small bowl, stir together the panko, 1/4 cup Parmesan and lemon zest. Add 1 tablespoon of the melted butter from the baking pan, stir until the panko is moistened, then season with salt and pepper.
When the water’s boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package instructions suggest. During the last minute of cooking, add the broccoli rabe. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and broccoli rabe.
Whisk the cream, garlic and pasta water into the melted butter in the baking dish until smooth. Add the remaining Parmesan, whisking until combined. Add the pasta, broccoli rabe and half the mozzarella. Taste; season well with salt and pepper. Stir until combined.
Top with the remaining mozzarella, then sprinkle evenly with the panko mixture. Bake until the mozzarella has melted and the panko is golden brown, 10-15 minutes.
Total time: 35 minutes, serves 4-6.
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