Stanley Tucci shared a recipe for pasta with broccoli rabe on Instagram.The actor teamed up with his mom to make the recipe, which uses just a handful of ingredients.Anchovies, garlic, broccoli rabe and pasta are the stars of this dish, plus lemon to finish.
Stanley Tucci has been spotted filming the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada in New York City, but that didn’t stop him from recently taking to Instagram and giving us yet another gorgeous, simple meal tutorial. Tucci puts together his latest Italian dish in a video with his mom, and together they make an easy dinner fit for a night on your own or an evening with friends: pasta with broccoli rabe.
Best of all, this meal uses just a handful of ingredients: broccoli rabe, anchovies, garlic, pasta and lemon. Broccoli rabe—or cime de rapa, as the Tuccis call it—is the centerpiece of this dish, which is usually made with orecchiette. (Stanley was all out of the small pasta, so the pair sub in some penne instead.)
After making sure they were rolling, the Big Night star and his mother, Joan, tell the camera they’re putting a twist on their usual broccoli rabe preparation and including some anchovies for the first time. Then they dive right into the simple steps that bring this dish together.
The first step is to take the stalks of the greens and boil them in salted water to soften them for a couple minutes. After that, they added the cime di rapa leaves themselves, which look like a leafy lettuce.
Once the greens are wilted, he removes the greens and stalks and adds in pasta to that same boiling water. While orecchiette is a traditional choice, you can swap in whatever short pasta you have if you’re trying to avoid another trip to the store.
After the pasta is al dente, everything goes into a pan with olive oil, garlic and anchovies. Tucci tosses the greens with the anchovies and garlic at first, then tosses in the pasta as well. Anchovies are rich in omega-3s, so they’re a good addition to this meal for both the nutrients and the added protein and flavor.
Tucci finishes the dish by topping it all with an optional sprinkling of bread crumbs for crunch.
If you don’t have or enjoy rabe, broccolini makes for a good substitute. We feature broccolini in a similar recipe—our Garlic-Anchovy Pasta with Broccolini. That recipe includes goat cheese for a creamy touch, but Parmesan would probably be a good addition, too,
After they taste their quick meal, Tucci asks his mom for her review, which is a glowing one. Both Tuccis love the salty, flavorful addition of the anchovies, and they agree that next time, they’ll add lemon zest for a little brightness. As Joan points out: lemon goes well with everything. And we think this pasta dish would go pretty well with everything, too—so dish this one up with something delicious like our Best Caesar Salad or Garlic-Butter Zucchini.
Dining and Cooking