This Winter Greens Orecchiette Pasta has earned its place in my top 5 favorite pasta dishes. It is that GOOD. Creamy, Garlicky, and loaded with winter greens. The perfect comfort dish. Also, skip the parmesan and this dish is vegan friendly.
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What kind of winter greens to use?
I used broccoli rabe aka rapini and Lacinato kale aka Tuscan kale. Lacinato kale is my fave because it’s deeper in color and is slightly thinner and more tender than curly kale. Also, both greens in this dish are bitter and compliment each other really well. Feel free to customize this dish and add your favorite greens.
What kind of proteins to add to this dish?
- Vegan protein option: chickpea or cannellini beans
- Meat Protein option: Spicy Sausage
Can you taste the coconut ?
I have been cooking with coconut in savory meals for years. I use coconut as a replacement for dairy milk or cream in any recipe. When I use coconut as a dairy-free option, I get a lot of people asking me can you taste the coconut? The short answer is NO, but this all depends on the brand of coconut milk/ cream you use. Not all coconut milk brands are created equal. There are two brands of coconut milk that I use for savory dishes, Trader Joe’s and Whole foods. These two brand coconut milks are mild in taste and when cooked, the spices and other ingredients help mask any leftover coconut taste. Also, I found that cooking the coconut a certain way helps to hide the coconut flavor too. At the end of whatever dish I am making with coconut, I like to grate raw garlic into the sauce and cook it for another minute and doing this extra step, really helps mask any leftover coconut flavor.
Winter Greens Orecchiette Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 &1/2 &1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 cups thinly sliced lacinato kale leaves large stems removed
- 1 cup broccoli rabe aka rapini thinly sliced . See video for size reference.
- 1 cup organic coconut cream unsweetened
- 1 cup organic vegetable broth no salt added
- 2 small jalapeño finely chopped
- Red crushed pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan love the wholefoods brand parmesan. Great quality.
- 2 cups package orecchiette pasta package orecchiette pasta
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water 1 minute shy from Al dente.
- In a pan on medium heat, sauté the shallots until fragrant. Then add the jalapeño and stir. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped broccoli rabe and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the sliced kale, chopped garlic and stir. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 30 seconds- 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
- Pour the vegetable broth and cook for 30 seconds – 1 minute.
- Add the coconut cream and stir. Cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the Al dente orecchiette pasta, black pepper , red crushed pepper, freshly grated parmesan and stir . Cook the pasta in the sauce for another 1-2 minute or until the sauce has thickened a bit and it is creamy.
- Taste and add additional seasoning to your liking. For an extra garlicky flavor, grate a small raw garlic and add to the pasta and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Garnish with freshly grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil and enjoy!
