Whole Wheat Penne with Broccoli Rabe, Walnuts, and Cheese

This Epicurious recipe for Penne with Broccoli Rabe, Walnuts, and Pecorino was really simple to make and made a pretty good weeknight meal. I'm a big fan of broccoli rabe (which you can surprisingly find at Key Foods) and I love recipes that are basically an entire meal in one dish, so this hit the spot.

A few notes: I used whipping cream because I had some on hand, but it made the sauce a little runny, so I'd probably use the suggested creme fraiche next time. Something about the cream sauce mixing with the lemon zest made for a weird taste the next day, but maybe that was just me.

To "stem" the broccoli rabe, just cut off any part of the bottom of the stem that looks kind of gnarly. As for the cheese, you could probably use any kind of hard cheese, but Pecorino seems best because it is so salty. For the walnuts... I'm not quite sure exactly how they are supposed to be toasted, but sticking them in a pan on medium heat for a little bit seemed to do the trick. Last but not least, the lemon was a nice touch, but it could use a little bit more.

Besides using whole wheat penne and adding more garlic, I don't think I made any big changes to the recipe, so here it is, from Epicurious:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 2 large)
2 large bunches broccoli rabe, stemmed and coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup creme frache
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
1 pound penne
1 1/2 cups walnut halves, toasted

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and sauté until golden and soft, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and sauté, tossing with tongs, until slightly softened and bright green. Add garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Stir in broth, creme frache, and lemon peel, then 1/3 cup cheese.
Season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until almost done. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Stir in broccoli rabe mixture and walnuts, adding 1/2 cup cooking liquid to moisten and adding more by tablespoonfuls if needed. Add extra cheese!