The vegan diet has become more and more important in recent years. People are more consciously opting for a plant-based diet in order to protect their bodies and the environment. Even though vegan dishes often seem boring and monotonous, there are countless delicious recipes that everyone will enjoy. One of these recipes is vegan orecchiette with cime di rapa and tomatoes. This dish is quick and easy to prepare and tastes great. So, what are you waiting for? Here we go!
Wondering what is orecchiette and what is cime di rapa? Well, let me tell you!
Orecchiette are small, round pasta made in southern Italy. They are usually served with tomato sauce and various vegetables. Orecchiette can be fresh or dried but should always be of excellent quality. The size of a euro, handmade and a bit rough on the outside to hold the sauces.
Cime di rapa (in English stalk cabbage) is a popular vegetable in southern Italy, from the Puglia region, often served with orecchiette. The typical vegetable of the autumn and winter season, with an intense and slightly spicy taste, is a bitter herb, usually sautéed in olive oil. Cime di rapa is a flavorful accompaniment to the pasta, making for a delicious and balanced dish. Cime di rapa should always be fresh and crisp when used.
The cime di rapa should be blanched for a few minutes along with the orecchiette and then sautéed in a pan in a spicy sauce made with garlic, chili and anchovies (we just leave them out, you can do without). That would be the original version, which I added with some cherry tomatoes. I can assure you that this dish is absolutely delicious! So if you get the chance to try them, you should definitely do it!
How to make orecchiette with cime di rapa!
Clean the cabbage by removing yellow leaves and the tough parts of the stems. Keep only the flowers, tender stems, and green leaves. Wash the Cime di Rapa in cold water, drain well and set aside.
Pour a generous sip of olive oil into a wide pan. Add the peeled and finely chopped garlic cloves. If you prefer you can use the garlic grated, the result will always be perfect. Add the seeded chillies and sauté for a few minutes over very low heat. Be careful not to burn the garlic! Remove the pan from the stove. Put aside.
Dried orecchiette (cooking time about 12 minutes): Cook the orecchiette in salted water according to package directions. Add the cime di rapa about 3 minutes before the end of the cooking time. I used dry orecchiette which took 12 minutes to cook.
Fresh orecchiette: If you use fresh orecchiette, you can cook the Cime di Rapa together with the pasta, as the cooking time is only about 3 minutes.
Drain the orecchiette with the cabbage and add to the pan along with the halved cherry tomatoes. Stir gently with a spoon to distribute the flavor of the oil. The heat should be quite high to cook off excess water. Once the water is gone, the orecchiette are done.
Serve the orecchiette with cime di rape and the sweet cherry tomatoes, without cheese , as the Apulian tradition dictates. Enjoy your meal!
if you like our vegan pasta dish with Italian kale, you might also be interested in these dishes:
- Pasta in creamy ricotta pumpkin cream
- Italian pasta idea with porcini mushrooms
- Pizza di pasta sfoglia
- Wholemeal spaghetti with lamb’s lettuce pesto
- Orecchiette pasta with pepper and cheese sauce
- quick pasta alla vodka
- more pasta ideas…
vegan orecchiette with cime di rapa and tomatoes
Equipment
- Sieve*
- Knife*
- Cooking pot*
- Pan*
Ingredients
- 200 G Orecchiette
- 1 Federation Cime di Rapa approx. 400 gr
- olive oil
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1-2 chili pepper to taste
- kosher salt*
- Black pepper* fresh from the mill
Instructions
- Clean the cabbage by removing yellow leaves and the tough parts of the stems. Keep only the flowers, tender stems, and green leaves. Wash the Cime di Rapa in cold water, drain well and set aside.
- Pour a generous sip of olive oil into a wide pan. Add the peeled and finely chopped garlic cloves. If you prefer you can use the garlic grated, the result will always be perfect. Add the seeded chillies and sauté for a few minutes over very low heat. Be careful not to burn the garlic! Remove the pan from the stove. Put aside.
- Dried orecchiette (cooking time about 12 minutes): Cook the orecchiette in salted water according to package directions. Add the cime di rapa about 3 minutes before the end of the cooking time. I used dry orecchiette which took 12 minutes to cook.
- Fresh orecchiette: If you use fresh orecchiette, you can cook the Cime di Rapa together with the pasta, as the cooking time is only about 3 minutes.
- Drain the orecchiette with the cabbage and add to the pan along with the halved cherry tomatoes. salts and peppers. Stir gently with a spoon to distribute the flavor of the oil. The heat should be quite high to cook off excess water. Once the water is gone, the orecchiette are done.
- Serve the orecchiette with cime di rape and the sweet cherry tomatoes, without cheese, as the Apulian tradition dictates. A few drizzles of good olive oil and freshly ground pepper can’t hurt.
- Enjoy your meal!
Nutrition
Pin this vegan orecchiette with cime di rapa and tomatoes on Pinterest and cook later
Vegan food is not only good for the environment, but also healthy and delicious. Did you know that vegan food is even better for the environment than regular food? In this blog post we will share a vegan orecchiette recipe with cime di rapa and tomatoes. This recipe is quick and easy to prepare and still tastes delicious. So, what are you waiting for? Cook off and do something good for the environment!