Serves 4

This recipe was inspired by one my mother gave me that uses sun-dried tomatoes, which are great, too, though they need to be soaked and cut into thin strips. It helps to have a spider, a large mesh scoop, to scoop the broccoli out of the water. Save time by buying pitted olives, available in many olive bars or in jars.

INGREDIENTS:

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

1/2 onion, diced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more to drizzle

3 garlic cloves, minced

14ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 bunch broccoli (about 10-12 ounces with stem on)

12 ounces orecchiette pasta (see Note)

1/3 to 1/2 cup pitted kalamata or other black olives, each cut into 3-4 rounds

Salt and hot red pepper flakes to taste

1/4 cup shaved or grated Parmesan cheese (see Note)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Instructions: Place a large pot of well-salted water over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Place the onion and olive oil in a saute pan and saute over medium-low until tender, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute, then add the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the broccoli.

Remove the stems from the broccoli. Peel well or trim the fibrous skin off with a large knife, then chop the stems and florets into 1/2-inch pieces. Blanch in the boiling water for about 2 minutes, then remove with a spider. Remove and set aside 1/2 cup of the broccoli-cooking water. Return the water in the pot to a boil and immediately add the pasta. Cook according to package instructions.

Stir the broccoli into the pasta sauce along with the reserved 1/2 cup water. Continue to simmer the sauce over low heat. To maintain its color, stir the broccoli often and don’t cover.

When the pasta is done, drain, reserving another 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Stir the pasta into the sauce with the olives. If it needs more moisture, add the water and stir over low heat. Season to taste with salt and hot red pepper flakes, and drizzle with olive oil.

Serve immediately in shallow bowls. Top with the Parmesan.

Note: Orecchiette is a round, cup-shaped pasta. Fusilli or penne rigate pasta work well, too. Use a vegetable peeler to shave a chunk of Parmesan cheese into long, thin strips or shards.

Per serving: 530 calories, 18 g protein, 83 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat (3 g saturated), 5 mg cholesterol, 525 mg sodium, 7 g fiber.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount