Is there anything more satisfying than a big bowl of pesto pasta? It is one of my absolute favorite dishes and I could eat it all the time without tiring of it. Broccoli Rabe is the bitter cousin of the fat, tender and mild broccoli variety that is so commonly used. It is the perfect variety of broccoli for this dish, as it’s adds complexity, and the stalks are thin enough that they just require a very rough chop before getting thrown into the pot. Instead of roasting broccoli rabe and dirtying another dish, I toss it in the pot with the pasta when it is almost done cooking and toss both the pasta and broccoli with the pesto. Not only is it a great way to minimize the number of dishes you have to do at the end of the night, it is also a great way to get another dose of greens in.

I’ve been loving using lentil pasta, as I think it most closely resembles the taste and texture of regular pasta, and doesn’t get gloopy like some rice pastas can. Rotini is the perfect shape to use for this dish, because it provides so many nooks and crannies for the pesto to get into.