Orecchiette con Salsiccia e Cime di Rapa (Orecchiette With Sausage and Broccoli Rabe)

This is a rich, meaty variation on the classic Apulian pasta, made with pork sausage, bitter greens, olive oil, garlic, chiles, and al dente orecchiette.

Orecchiette con le Cime di Rapa (Apulian Orecchiette With Broccoli Rabe)

Straight from the heel of Italy, this orecchiette features olive oil, garlic, chiles, anchovies, bitter greens, and toasted breadcrumbs.

Pasta With Mushrooms, Brussels Sprouts, and Parmesan

Orecchiete, Brussels sprouts, and mushrooms come together to form the perfect plate of pasta.

Orecchiette with Caramelized Turnips, Tuscan Kale, and Cracked Pepper from 'The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook'

This pasta dish from Tracey Medeiros's Vermont Farm Table Cookbook introduced a new element to my standard kale recipe mix: caramelized turnips. At first, I was turned off by the idea of pairing bitter greens with a bitter root vegetable, but then I remembered how turnips mellow and sweeten once cooked. Add in some serious maillard action to the turnips, and I realized this was a really clever way to make use of a New England staple crop.

Pasta With Braised Broccoli and Tomato

I first had pasta with slow-cooked broccoli at Jamie Bissonette and Ken Oringer's Coppa in Boston's South End and was blown away by its intense flavor. When cooked down in a rich tomato sauce, broccoli takes on an entirely different character with a deep, mildly sulfurous aroma that borders on meaty in its savoriness.

Orecchiette with Fennel Sausage and Swiss Chard Recipe | Cook the Book

Sausage and greens are a glorious pair, whether piled into a sandwich or in this Orecchiette with Fennel Sausage and Swiss Chard is a hearty and fall-perfect Puglian classic brought stateside by Nancy Silverton and Matt Molina, executive chef at Osteria Mozza.

Charred Broccoli With Manchego, Hazelnuts, and Honey

The classic side dish of broccoli and cheese, made sophisticated.

Creamy Orecchiette With Spring Onions, Fennel, and Bacon

Borrowing a classic French sauce technique, this easy pasta dish balances cheesy, bacon-y richness with bright and light spring vegetables.

Diane Rossen Worthington's Penne with Roasted Broccoli and Pistachio Gremolata

Roasted broccoli is a wonder. A hot oven can transform the mild vegetable into something rich and caramelized, and the depth of flavor it's capable of never ceases to amaze me. And tossing with hot pasta is about the best way I know to transform that magic into a full meal. This recipe, from Diane Rossen Worthington's Seriously Simple Parties, takes things a step further by tossing the whole thing with a pistachio gremolata.

Dinner Tonight: Pasta e Broccoli

The parboiled broccoli breaks up into the pasta and almost melts into a pasta-clinging sauce. This is, at the very least, a delicious way to eat your broccoli.