Description
A vibrant and flavorful Italian pasta dish featuring orecchiette combined with the hearty cavolo nero greens, infused with garlic, chilli, and shallots, then finished with creamy ricotta and crunchy toasted almonds for texture contrast.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 150g orecchiette
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 200g cavolo nero, separated into stems and leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 red chilli, deseeded if preferred, finely chopped
- 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
Other Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 75g ricotta
- 15g almonds, roughly chopped and toasted
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Boil the orecchiette according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about one mugful of the cooking water for later use.
- Prepare the Greens and Aromatics: Finely chop the cavolo nero stems and leaves, keeping them separate. Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over low heat. Add the cavolo nero stems, crushed garlic, chopped chilli, and finely chopped banana shallot. Cook gently for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Wilt the Cavolo Nero Leaves: Stir in the cavolo nero leaves to the pan and fry until they are just wilted, maintaining their vibrant green color and texture.
- Combine Pasta and Greens: Add the drained orecchiette to the pan and toss everything together thoroughly to combine the flavors.
- Add Lemon and Ricotta: Stir in the lemon zest and juice along with the ricotta cheese. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce and create a creamy texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with Almonds: Transfer the pasta to serving plates and sprinkle the toasted, roughly chopped almonds over the top to add a delightful crunch and nutty flavor.
Notes
- Deseed the chilli if you prefer less heat in the dish.
- Reserve some pasta water to adjust the sauce consistency.
- To toast almonds, heat them in a dry pan over medium heat until golden and fragrant, stirring frequently.
- This dish can be made vegetarian or adapted to vegan by substituting ricotta with a plant-based alternative.
- Make sure not to overcook cavolo nero leaves to keep their vibrant color and slight bite.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: cavolo nero orecchiette, Italian pasta, ricotta pasta, healthy greens pasta, easy vegetarian dinner, garlic chilli pasta
