Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, prep your broccoli rabe. Separate the florets from the stems. (You can discard the stems, or save to use in stir-fries, frittatas, etc. if you like.) Place the florets in the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes until crisp-tender. Strain, and immediately plunge them into cold ice water to stop the cooking. Strain again, pat the florets dry with paper towels, and roughly chop.

Time to toast your pine nuts! Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add the pine nuts. Cook for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly browned.

Add the broccoli rabe, toasted pine nuts, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan, salt and crushed red pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Process until well incorporated. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil and continue to process until smooth.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a good pinch of salt. When boiling, add the pasta and cook al dente according to the package directions. (Really try not to overcook your pasta, peeps.) Strain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.

Return the pasta to the pot and add the broccoli rabe pesto, along with a little pasta cooking water. Toss to coat. (The pasta water will loosen the pesto and help it coat the pasta. You’ll probably only need about ¼ cup tops, so add a little at a time until you reach the perfect consistency.) Add the mozzarella pearls and toss again.

Divide the pasta among bowls and top with extra lemon zest and crushed red pepper if you like.