Baked Alfredo Pasta With Broccoli Rabe and Lemon Recipe (2024)

Huh, all these folks trying to get rid of broccoli rabe's bitterness. I'd say it's a good counterpoint to the richness of the overall dish.

I took the bait. I really regret that mozzarella was the cheese choice here. There are so many other cheeses to use.. why not something that keeps its "melt" better, and that has some sort of stronger flavor profile? Maybe something gruyere-ish, or even a white cheddar. The bitterness of the broc rabe was the most interesting thing about this. That said, the overall presentation looks great on the table, and the texture is fun. I'm gonna try it again, but with different cheeses.

My experience with broccoli rabe is that it can be extremely bitter. My Italian friend who is a great cook taught me to blanch it first (after you chop it) in LOTS of salted boiling water and then drain on a tea towel. I often use a spider strainer to scoop out the pasta then reserve some for the dish and then in the same water, cook the rabe for about 2 minutes.

The bitterness is what I love about broccoli rabe!

Made this per the recipe. This recipe has a FATAL flaw. It calls for fresh mozzarella to be added when you add the pasta and broccoli rabe. The cheese congeals and binds to the vegetable in clumps. It should be added to the sauce BEFORE added the pasta and vegetables. Also, for a pound of pasta I used a pint of cream. I also double the bread crumb/lemon/parmesan. Take heed, this recipe and good good or a disaster

The flavors in this were great—full and sophisticated—but the sauce was quite watery. Next time I might leave the pasta water out of the sauce (yes, I’m fully aware of the function of pasta water in building a sauce, thanks) and will also consider building the sauce on the stove and allowing it to thicken up a bit in the pan. Otherwise, I loved this and would make it again.

I think I would use broccolini instead of the broccoli rabe. Same texture and shape without the bitterness.

This was really really good and very easy! Made 1/2 recipe for 2 of us but doubled the veg. Blanching the broccolini for 1 min made it a bit crunchy, and the topping was nicely browned. Big hit here.

Wonderfully satisfying comfort food, sort of an "adult mac n cheese". I strongly recommend going with a 12-inch cast-iron skillet as your baking vessel for this dish if you can. We subbed in asparagus for the broccoli rabe (produce aisle is a little limited these days!) and it worked out great!

Broccoli rabe is a bitter green that is an acquired taste. Boiling vegetables loses nutrients. Try cutting your washed broccoli rabe stems, leaves and florets and steaming them for 10-12 minutes instead. Notwithstanding this dish, after steaming, saute lightly in EVOO, minced garlic, salt and hot pepper flakes. Lovely in a sandwich also.

I took the gruyere (omitting the mozzarella) route along with the Parmesan. I also added to the Panko crumb mixture 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, 1 tsp red paper flakes and 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts and more black pepper. It added zing and flavor — overall it was wonderful and made for great leftovers too, staying moist and flavorful

My dear late MIL (full blooded Italian) taught me to boil the heck out of the broccoli rabe before using. I've learned in later years, you don't really need to boil it that much, but a good blanching is recommended. It can also be quite fibrous, so trim it well. But one of my favorites, sauteed with olive oil, garlic and some red pepper flakes!

I cooked this as written other than using one commenter’s note about adding the mozzarella to the sauce before the pasta and broccoli rabe. That worked great and didn’t create the stringiness people mentioned. For presentation I served with the lemon wedges of the zested lemon and it added a bit more welcome acidity. I would definitely make this with the broccoli rabe and the suggested cheeses. It’s a great combination.

It would be great if, instead of saying 1 bunch (which varies from store to store), the recipe specified cups or ounces.

Update. I made this earlier in the week. Used broccolini and roasted it first instead of cooking it in the pasta water. Used a bit more lemon zest and 8 oz. mozzarella. Delicious. Half of the leftovers seemed to have disappeared when my husband cleaned up after dinner.

We really enjoyed this dish with a few modifications. We used gluten free pasta (worked really well!) and did a cashew cream instead of heavy cream. We also used fontina instead of mozzarella, as others have recommended. We loved the bitterness of the broccoli rabe.

I tried this and was disappointed. Dry and not cheesey. Next night I added Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup with garlic, half and half, multiple cheeses, and baked the leftovers. Delicious b

Made this and it was a huuuuge hit! Mad delicious! I could tell from reading it that it was going to be bland, so added pepperoncini to the butter/cream/parm mixture in the baking dish and whisked it in thoroughly before adding pasta and broccoli rabe. Instead of the fresh mozz, I used taleggio, which melts like a dream and also adds a bit of funk. Next time, I will try fontina.

My kids LOVED this

I just made this (1/20/24) and will try it again. However, instead of using the baking dish to melt the butter, whisk the sauce, and toss the mix together, I melted the butter in a saucepan and used a large mixing bowl for the other steps before pouring it into the baking dish. A few extra items to wash afterwards, but the dish isn't big enough.

The bitterness isn’t a bug, it’s a feature

We made this with half the pasta, all the sauce (just 5 TBsp butter) and all the broccolini because our store didn’t have broccoli rabe. Oven heat at 450F. Delicious! Just the thing for a chilly night. Oh, and we tore the 6 oz. mozzarella rather than cutting it, which made for a cohesive result.

I used smoked fresh mozz and it was pretty delish, lots of salt and pepper. I would probably add red pepper flakes next time.

I really appreciate the suggestion of Gruyere or a white cheddar.

I suggest cook the pasta, save the 1/2 cup water and then drain the pasta Melt the butter in the pasta pot. Remove 1 T butter for the panko. Then, under low heat, add the pasta water, parmesan, garlic, heavy cream and grated half mozzarella. When it thickens, add in the pasta and broccoli rabe. Make sure the pasta is coated with the sauce. Pour into a baking dish and top with the rest of the mozzarella and panko.

This is a hit with our toddler. I've made this every other week for at least two years now. We call it "slide pasta" due to cavatappi's shape. I make it as written except usually use two heads of regular broccoli instead of broccoli rabe.

I love this dish--what a wonderful cold-weather dish.

A few swaps/additions: In Step 2, increase garlic to 3 cloves and add 3c chopped mushrooms (white and baby bella) and 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced. Sauté over medium-low to medium heat until mushroom liquid evaporates, onions should be softened, not browned. In Step 3, add 3c kale to the pasta water for the last 6min and then add 2c chopped asparagus for the last 2-3min. Considering adding chopped lemon pepper rotisserie chicken to the next round. Really lovely recipe!

This was a winner, and I was ready to be disappointed after reading some of the comments—first time I’ve truly loved rapini in a dish! Added some chili flakes when whisking, and built the sauce in the warm pasta pot before turning it into a pan to bake, because I’m messy and trying to whisk/mix all that in a 9x13 would’ve been a disaster for me.

I used broccoli for this as it’s what I had - the method is mostly sound and I’d make it again, but it desperately needs doctoring up. Maybe the rabe acts as a better counterpoint, but we found it extremely bland. Hot sauce helps a lot, but I’ll try in future to season it better pre-bake.