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Broccoli Rigatoni with Chickpeas & Lemon | ![]() |
< SaltRant >
I have a theory, one which makes me swear like a sea-salty sailor.
We Americans consume ten times the salt our bodies need. So when we’re told, “Cut back on salt,” we lightly salt – or worse, skip the salt entirely – when cooking eggs, meat and especially vegetables.
But saltless food tastes flat, leaving our taste buds unsatisfied and our inner chefs questioning our culinary skills. So we turn to prepared food products, which, you guessed it, are heavily salted for both flavor and preservation.
It’s a vicious circle, harder than laboring in the salt mines. The less we salt at home, the more salt we consume. Tastes do vary with heredity, health and age. Children are more sensitive to saltiness than older adults, for example. But if more salt means we eat more broccoli, more green beans, more leafy greens, more dried beans and legumes, more healthful food, well then, isn’t salt a modern-day miracle food?
< End/SaltRant >
BROCCOLI RIGATONI with CHICKPEAS & LEMON
Time to table: 40 minutes
Serves 4
-
BROCCOLI & PASTA
- 8 cups water
- 3 tablespoons table salt
- 1 pound fresh broccoli, crowns cut into bite-size florets, stalks peeled & chopped
- 8 ounces rigatoni
-
CHICKPEAS & LEMON
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed & drained
- Zest & juice of 2 lemons (about 4 tablespoons)
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
-
BROCCOLI STALKS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Chopped broccoli stalks
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced thin
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-
COMBINE
- 1/4 cup (50g) grated parmesan
- Shaved parmesan, to serve
- Lemon wedges, to serve
COOK BROCCOLI FLORETS & PASTA In a large pot, bring water and salt to boil. Prep broccoli, keeping florets and chopped stalks separate. Drop broccoli florets into boiling water, cover, cook for 3 minutes, lift out with slotted spoon to drain in a colander. Add rigatoni, cook til done, drain.
MIX CHICKPEAS & LEMON In a small bowl, stir together chickpeas, lemon zest, juice and pepper.
SAUTÉ BROCCOLI STALKS Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium until shimmery. Add chopped broccoli stalks, cook til just beginning to soften. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often.
COMBINE Stir in broccoli florets and chickpea mixture, warm through. Gently turn in cooked rigatoni and parmesan. Transfer to serving plates, top with shaved parmesan and top with a lemon wedge.











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