For this relaxed weekend after the holiday hustle, how about a easy little jewel recipe to ring in the New Year? Easy Baked Rotini with Broccolini–ease into the New Year.
ROTINI PASTA
A staple food in many traditional Italian dishes, Rotini is a must-have addition to any kitchen. One of the most popular and kid-friendly shapes of pasta, rotini means “twists” in Italian, referring to the screw-like shape of the noodles. Rotini is characterized by medium-length, spiral-shaped noodles and is a great complement to almost any sauce. The twisted shape allows the pasta to hold extra sauce and other bits of ingredients to ensure maximum flavor in every bite.
COOKING BROCCOLINI
Broccolini is a wonderful green vegetable, very much like broccoli, but with smaller more delicate florets and thin stalks. I did not know it is a natural hybrid of broccoli and gai lan, both cultivar groups of Brassica oleracea or that it is fairly new, developed only 8 years ago. Who knew?
I choose Broccolini, most of the time favoring the rich green flowers and thin stems. The smaller size allows it the cook quickly, just until crisp tender–a little more delicate than standard brocolli. It is wonderful steamed until crisp tender and goes well with this pasta dish. I also enjoy marinating brocollini with garlic, soy and olive oil which makes a fresh side salad.
EASY BAKED ROTINI
This rotini dish came with a challenge–to recreate a well-loved dish from a local restuarant, without the recipe. I accepted the challenge and brought the dish along on Christmas Day gathering. Now, this was no great feat, the ingredients read as a simple list. What I had to guess on was the technique of sauting the cooked pasta and then baking. I was happy to read that this dish is meant to take on a crispy and chewy bite to the pasta. I was a bit worried at first. Here’s how to achieve these results.
For the easy bake pasta dish, cooked rotini pasta is tossed with garlic, oil and broccolini and quickly pan sauted, infusing the pasta with garlic oil also giving the pasta a crispy edge. After this quick cook, the pasta mixture is placed in the baking dish, topped with grated mozzarella cheese and baked until golden and bubbly. The cheesy goodness goes perfectly with a side of marinara sauce.
I’m adding this to the Bijouxs recipe collection, an Easy Bake Rotoni & Broccolini little jewel, now an anytime favorite.
Wishing you the best in 2018 and thank you for supporting Bijouxs.
As always, enjoy. B
I resisted broccolini for a long time because it seemed like it was “invented” by marketing execs. However, I have changed my toon. I particularly like how it holds up to the grill. GREG
Happy New Year Greg! I thought the same but loved the deep green delicate stalks. Great idea to grill:) Best! ~Bijouxs
This dish looks very yummy. I think I’ll try it out on my grandsons soon. They love pasta and broccoli so it should be a hit !
Hi Ruthie! Happy New Year:) This pasta was a winner, let me know how the boys like it. Best~ Bijouxs
I am a huge fan of broccolini! Thanks for the great ideas and the delicious recipes!
Cheers to YOU!
Thank you Alisa!! Great to have you part of Bijouxs Little Jewels.
Best, Lynn