italian broccoli pasta

This Italian Broccoli Pasta is an authentic dish from my Sicilian grandmother. It's a quick and easy recipe, perfect for any weeknight.

Italian Broccoli Pasta

broccoli (about 2 small heads)

1lb rigatoni pasta (or pasta of choice)

extra virgin olive oil,

garlic,

red pepper flakes

(2 ounces) pecorino romano cheese, finely grated

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

Boil water. 

Prep vegetables

While water heats up, cut head of broccoli into large florets. Remove the tough outer layer of the stem and cut into 1-inch chunks. Mince garlic.

Boil and chop broccoli

Cook broccoli in boiling water for 5-7 minutes, until fork tender. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving water in pot. Chop broccoli into 1/2 inch or smaller pieces.

Boil pasta. 

Bring pot of water back to a boil. Season generously with salt. Add pasta and cook until 1-2 minutes short of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain pasta.

Cook broccoli sauce. 

While pasta cooks, place olive oil, garlic and red pepper into a large, room temperature sauté pan. Turn heat to medium. Once garlic sizzles for a few seconds, stir in the chopped broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of pasta water. Bring to a boil. Allow to simmer for about 3-5 minutes so broccoli further softens and breaks down. This pasta is best with very soft broccoli (even softer and more broken down than in my photos is great).

Finish pasta. 

Add cooked pasta to broccoli sauce. Toss to combine. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Taste for seasoning. Add more pasta water to loosen sauce, if needed. Serve topped with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and cracked black pepper or more cheese, if desired. Enjoy.

Such a great standby, and so easy. I'm Calabrese, and this is one of my go-to dishes. I think cooking the pasta in the broccoli water is a great idea!

One of my favorite recipe’s so simply and delicious. Thanks for sharing Sabrina!

We grew several broccoli heads and I was unsure of what to do with all of them. Your recipe is perfect. Thank you

Made this and it's delish!! I love broccoli. Thank you. Your recipes are at the top of my list

Absolutely perfect recipe. Love it! Thank you

This was absolutely delicious and very easy to make! I am making it again, tonight! Thank you for this great recipe!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4It7Mf4omlU

Easy Broccoli Pasta #shorts

Broccoli pasta is an easy 30-minute dinner with a creamy broccoli sauce, simple ingredients, and plenty of vegetables. It’s comforting, wholesome, and perfect for busy weeknights.

Broccoli Pasta (Easy 6 Ingredients)

broccoli

short pasta (orecchiette, rigatoni, penne, fusilli, or shells)

extra virgin olive oil

garlic (grated)

red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

Parmesan cheese (freshly grated, plus more for serving)

salt

Boil the broccoli

Boil the broccoli: Cut 1 pound broccoli into small florets. Boil in a large pot of salted water for about 5 minutes, until fork-tender. Keep the cooking water for the pasta.

Make the broccoli sauce

Make the broccoli sauce: Heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cloves garlic (grated) and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, stirring often.Transfer the broccoli to the skillet with a slotted spoon. Add 1 cup of broccoli cooking water, ½ teaspoon salt,  and simmer for about 10 minutes, until very soft. Mash with a fork, or blend with an immersion blender for a smoother sauce.

Cook the pasta

Cook the pasta: Cook 12 ounces short pasta in the same water as the broccoli for about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

Finish the pasta

Finish the pasta: Add the drained pasta to the broccoli sauce. Stir in ½ cup Parmesan cheese and cook for about 1 minute, tossing until creamy and well coated.Add a splash of reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Taste, adjust the salt and Parmesan, and serve.

So last night, I sat down to one of my favourite dishes (thanks to you). I make the broccoli pasta often. So fresh, healthy, and delicious but also, frankly, so quick and easy. 

As I was enjoying it, the thought struck me to try something a friend from Piovene Rocchette taught me; his bolognese sauce always had a hint of something that mysteriously elevated the entire sauce but it was so subtle that I couldn’t place it. He finally told me that in the north, Italians use hints of clove. Wow!

So midmeal, I thought, “This might work  …” I added an ever-so-light pinch of powered clove to the  dish and it was wonderful. Same effect as my friends bolognese. That soupçon of clove elevates the broccoli. Who would have thought?

Such a simple thing but I thought to share this with you. It’s hard to improve on perfection and your Broccoli pasta is so wonderful. But I think I may have found a modest variation that I know I will try again.

Quick, easy and delicious, right up my alley!

Came out really good. Super healthy and delicious!

Yet another winning recipe!  So easy and delicious. I agree that you should really smash the broccoli (even cook in the water a bit longer than fork-tender)

I LOVE your recipes, but I adore the videos. “Easy, right?!”  The videos are so well done, upbeat, short, inspiring and just bring a smile to my face while my recipe collection grows.  Love you two!

Recipe tastes AMAZING however I added a bit more chili powder / pepper flakes and a little bit more salt when I was cooking everything together. 

I will say, make sure to smash the broccoli and be cautious as to how much water you add. I wasn’t able to make a sauce (probably because of how much water I added) and that caused the cheese to just clump together. My end result was a soup but it tasted great so I hope next time I make it I achieve the sauce.

I don't usually eat much pasta so had been looking for new recipe ideas and this was lovely! I only had half the amount of broccoli in the fridge and it was definitely towards the end of looking it's best, but it was still a super tasty meal. Looking forward to making it again with the extra (fresh!) broccoli next time. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cJAAqDaiho

⭐️ Get Recipe:

Broccoli pasta is a creamy recipe with tender broccoli florets mashed into a delicious sauce with olive oil, herbs, and spices.

This Italian-inspired dish is easy to make in less than 30 minutes.

⭐️ Ingredients
1 pound (450 grams) broccoli, fresh or frozen + 1 gallon (3½ liters) water and 1 tablespoon of salt to boil them.
12 ounces (340 grams) short pasta conchiglie, orecchiette, rotini, or another type.
3 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic pressed, grated, or thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) red pepper flakes or thinly sliced red chili. Add more or less to taste.
½ cup (50 grams) grated parmesan cheese + shaved parmesan for garnishing.
1 handful (1 handful) basil leaves

INSTRUCTIONS
BOIL BROCCOLI: Cut 1 pound of broccoli into small florets and boil them for 5 minutes or until fork tender.
Tip: We recommend cooking the broccoli in 1 gallon (3½ liters) of water seasoned with 1 tablespoon sea salt.

MAKE THE SAUCE: Heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet.
Add 2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced) and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute.

Remove the broccoli from the water and add them to the skillet (do not discard the water; we use it to cook the pasta).
Add one cup of the cooking water and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes or until very tender.
Mash the broccoli with a fork or blend with an immersion blender.

COOK THE PASTA: While the broccoli simmers, cook 12 ounces of short pasta as per package instructions minus 2 minutes.
Use the same water you used for cooking the broccoli.

ADD THE PASTA: Drain the pasta (reserve one cup of cooking water) and add it to the sauce.
Add ½ cup grated parmesan cheese and finish cooking for about a minute.
Add some reserved pasta water if necessary to make the dish creamy.
Taste and adjust for salt.

Serve with 1 handful of basil leaves and shaved parmesan on top.

❤️ Nico & Louise
#recipe #broccoli

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Top 2 italian broccoli pasta recipes from across the web

The most viewed italian broccoli pasta recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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