This Easy Pasta with Broccoli Recipe is quick, easy, and so flavorful! One of my favorite pasta recipes to make for a crowd. Loved by vegetarians and carnivores!
Pasta with Broccoli
Friday night is date night in our house! And more often than not, that means we stay home, open a bottle of wine, and cook pasta! It’s nothing fancy… but I look forward to it all week!
Since my husband doesn’t eat meat, we usually end up cooking a veggie based pasta dish. Our current favorite? This SUPER SIMPLE broccoli pasta recipe! It features bright green broccoli florets, plenty of garlic, olive oil, white wine, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. But the best part? It’s fast cooking time! This dish comes together in less than 30 minutes!!! Less time in the kitchen = more time lounging on the couch with my hubby.
Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success
- Don’t overcook the broccoli! You only want to cook it for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender and bright green. And don’t worry if it looks slightly undercooked, because it’ll continue cooking in the sauce later.
- Another ingredient you don’t want to overcook? The pasta! Cook it until it’s al dente! The cooking time will vary slightly depending on the brand of pasta you’re using, so check the box for instructions.
- If you really love lemon, you can add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the cooked pasta before serving.
- No wine in the fridge? You can use chicken broth instead. Or even reserved pasta water.
- Before serving, be sure to taste and add more salt or black pepper if needed.
- If you’re looking for some side dishes to serve with this, try my easy baked meatballs or homemade garlic knots!
More Pasta Recipes:
- Rigatoni with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Zucchini
- Penne Arrabbiata
- Stuffed Shells Fra Diavolo
- Easy Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
- One Pan Tomato Basil Pasta
AND IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE FOR EASY PASTA WITH BROCCOLI, LET ME KNOW! LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND DON’T FORGET TO SNAP A PIC AND TAG IT #BAKERBYNATURE ON INSTAGRAM! SEEING YOUR KITCHEN CREATIONS MAKES OUR DAY.
Easy Pasta with Broccoli Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 pound pasta
- 1 cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 cup white wine or chicken broth
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add a dash of salt, then add the broccoli florets and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain the broccoli and set aside until needed.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add a dash of salt, then add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes for most pasta brands.
- While the pasta cooks, make your sauce. In a large saute pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic and pepper flakes (if using) and cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic is fragrant and starts to shimmer. Add in the broccoli and wine (or chicken broth). Season with salt and pepper and simmer on medium-low for 8 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in the broccoli sauce. Add the cheese and lemon juice and toss until well combined. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Transfer to a large serving platter and serve at once!
Roast your broccoli it will get a bit crispy I’ve been adding some sliced carrots toss with olive oil salt pepper & roast for 25 minutes at 425 for 25 minutes or so toss with a little lemon juice so good with anything especially Mac.
This was really but definitely don’t need 1 cup olive oil! Will make again but with less oil.
I’m surprised because a lot of that oil gets sucked up by the broccoli heads. I usually need this much. 🙂 But good though.
My kids.loved it. Its really a favourite for all in my family. A nice recipe to share.
This was delicious! I’ve lost track of how many of your recipes I’ve made. I’m starting a collection of your recipes. This was wonderful for my family’s supper tonight. :). I used less olive oil and steamed the broccoli, but the flavors were fantastic!
Looks tasty!! i’m definitely doing this recipe this weekend!! <3
Made as above, but increased the garlic to 12 cloves (you may notice we LOVE garlic) and sliced some red bell pepper to make the look more Christmas-like. Delicioius
This exact recipe has now become a staple in my home! Last month I made it twice in one week lol. We love it, now if I could get my two year old to eat it we would be good to go lol.