Spicy Cheese Pasta with Orange Broccoli

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180C / 360F.

Step 2

Toss your broccoli florets with the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and just enough olive oil to coat them. Scatter in a deep baking dish and place in the oven for 15 minutes.

Step 3

Remove from the oven and use a potato masher to flatten and smash the florets a little bit - this increases their surface area to get them a little crisper, and stops some of the flyaway bits from getting too singed. Once you've done this, flip and mix the florets around. Place back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

Step 4

At this point, start your pasta boiling according to package instructions.

Step 5

Once the broccoli is ready (it should be browned on the edges and a bit crispy), remove it from the oven and turn the oven off. Immediately add the orange zest to the pan and mix it through, then squeeze most of the juice from 1/2 of the orange into the pan too (just what you can squeeze out easily). Mix it around so the broccoli can absorb it.

Step 6

Add the cream and both of the cheeses. Mix through. It will likely not start melting quite yet, but once you add the hot pasta it will. If the pasta isn't ready yet, you can place the pan back in the oven (the oven should be off, but the residual heat will keep everything warm and start to melt the cheese.)

Step 7

Once the pasta is cooked, reserve a little bit of the cooking water and then drain. Add the pasta to the pan and mix through. The cheese should start to melt and form a creamy sauce. Add pasta cooking water to thin out as needed, and additional cream if you want the sauce more rich and creamy.

Step 8

Add any additional garnishes (green herbs and/or a little extra orange zest) and serve.