creamy broccoli pasta

Ah yes, yet another recipe to add to my collection of Italian food! This is creamy broccoli pasta, and it's super easy and super tasty. My mom makes this allll time time, and it's a perfect fast weeknight meal. I know pasta with broccoli sauce sounds a little funny, but don't underestimate the ability of Italians to turn anything into a pasta dish. Green beans? Yes, we put those in pasta. Spinach? Of course. Cauliflower? No biggie. Potatoes? Yep, even potatoes. I'll have to share THAT recipe sometime once it gets cold again, the combination of carbs on top of more carbs is a perfect stick-to-your-ribs, wintery kind of meal. But I digress. Broccoli! On pasta! Here it is.

This is the perfect fast and easy meal! It's vegetarian, but swap out the parmesan for some nutritional yeast {or some other form of vegan cheesy-tasting thing}, and it's magically vegan. And as far as pastas go, it's probably one of the healthiest! The sauce is seriously just broccoli with some olive oil, garlic, parmesan, and a touch of cream for extra richness. You just toss that with your bowtie pasta {though spaghetti are also magical with this sauce}, and dinner is served. Easy peasy!

For some reason, while my entire family pretty much loves this dish, my dad isn't a huge fan. I think it's his manly, I-need-meat-in-every-meal complex. Pfffft. I think this is delicious, and honestly I don't miss the meat at all! Though if you must be so picky, I bet some grilled chicken would taste pretty great on here. But don't let any Italians know I told you that... while we can turn almost anything in a pasta dish, there is some sort of unspoken, unwritten rule that says we must never, EVER put chicken in pasta. I don't know why, but it's just a thing you don't do. Whatever. Italian reasoning. I think this pasta is great as-is. 🙂

Print Recipe

creamy broccoli pasta

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy

Ingredients

• 2 heads of broccoli {or about 4 cups frozen broccoli}
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 2-3 tablespoon heavy cream
• salt pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 box small pasta {like penne or bowties}

Instructions

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, wash your two heads of broccoli, and cut into small-ish florets.
• When the water comes to a boil, toss in the broccoli, and a bit of salt. Let the broccoli cook for 5-10 minutes, until it's soft but not falling apart. You definitely want them softer than steamed broccoli!
• Heat the olive oil and garlic over medium-high in a large nonstick skillet. Once the oil starts to shimmer and the garlic is lightly sizzling, drain the broccoli and throw it in the pan. Stir the broccoli until they start to fall apart and become creamy.
• Add in the parmesan and heavy cream, and season to taste. Lower the heat to a simmer while you prepare the pasta.
• Bring another medium pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions.
• Once pasta is done, drain it, and toss it with the broccoli sauce. Add some of the pasta water if its too thick, and add more seasoning if needed. Serve with plenty of cheese!