Broccoli Pasta

This 8-ingredient quick and easy healthy Broccoli Pasta is so good it’s going to blow your mind! Fresh broccoli is sautéed in rich extra virgin olive oil along with fresh garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes before being smashed into a delicious creamy sauce! It’s then tossed together with perfectly cooked pasta and some tasty parmesan cheese! 

Healthy Broccoli Pasta Recipe

I’m in love with this dish! It’s healthy, quick to make, and totally delicious. This broccoli pasta is really something special! In some ways, it looks similar to my Arugula Walnut Pesto Pasta, but the flavor profile is totally different and the sauce is not a pesto at all. Yet, it’s got that same creamy texture and beautiful vibrant green color.

However, I know creamy broccoli sauce seems crazy right!?! Yet, it’s seriously good and oh-so easy to make. In fact, after I made it I wondered why it took me so long to realize that mashed-up sauteed broccoli with a bit of garlic and parmesan cheese would make an incredible pasta sauce. I also add a pinch of red pepper flakes too for a bit of heat, but if you’re not into spice you can leave them out. 

And this creamy broccoli pasta recipe is really versatile. By design, it’s a totally vegetarian meal and super yummy. But like most pasta recipes, it’s also really tasty topped with some Grilled Chicken or Oven Baked Shrimp. So feel free to add any type of protein you like. It’s even good served hot or cold! 

• Broccoli – You need fresh broccoli for this recipe. But frozen will work if that is all you’ve got on hand.
• Olive Oil – Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
• Garlic – Fresh minced garlic cloves are always best. Store-bought jarred garlic will work but it can sometimes have a bitter taste.
• Red Pepper Flakes – Used to add a bit of spice. However, you can omit this ingredient or add even more for spicier pasta.
• Salt – Used to season the pasta cooking water and the dish.
• Black Pepper – Use fresh ground black pepper if you have it on hand. 
• Pasta – I used orecchiette pasta. Another great choice is penne pasta. But any type of pasta can be used, including gluten-free.
• Parmesan Cheese – Used to make the sauce cheesy and garnish the dish at the end.

This healthy pasta recipe is super simple with very little prep time! It’s nearly impossible to mess up. The broccoli is cooked, smashed into a sauce, and then tossed with pasta!

To begin, you first need to cook the broccoli. So bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Next, add the broccoli florets and cook them for 5 minutes. Then when it’s done, reserve half a cup of the broccoli cooking water, but don’t discard the rest of the water! Just keep it in the pot. You will use the cooking water again to cook the pasta.

Next, transfer the cooked broccoli to a large skillet along with the extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper and the reserved broccoli water. Now, cook the mixture over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the broccoli is super soft. Then mash the broccoli with the back of a spoon to create a creamy sauce.

While the broccoli mixture is cooking you can begin cooking the pasta. First, bring the broccoli cooking water in the pot back to a boil. Then cook the pasta according to the package directions or until al dente. Reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining.

Once the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the pan with the broccoli mash. Then add the grated parmesan cheese and stir everything together. At this point, if the sauce is too thick just add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin it out. Finally, taste the dish and add more salt and black pepper if needed.

After the pasta has been seasoned and is the recipe complete, transfer the broccoli pasta to your serving dish of choice. Then garnish it with some more freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve with some soft home-baked Garlic Knots.

Can I Puree The Broccoli Sauce?

Of course, you can! You shouldn’t need to, but if you want a completely smooth sauce like Pesto, then go for it! A basic food processor or immersion blender will do the trick. Yet, if you still want the sauce to have a few chunks you should just pulse it.

Why Is My Pasta Dry?

Sometimes you can have a little more pasta than needed and not quite enough sauce, which can make pasta dishes dry. This is why I suggest that you only add about 80% of the cooked pasta to the broccoli sauce and then add more if you’ve got enough sauce. But you can easily fix dry pasta by adding a little more of the reserved pasta water, vegetable broth, or even heavy cream.  

Storage

Leftover broccoli pasta will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. To reheat, just sprinkle it with a bit of water to loosen it up a bit. Then put it in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power or reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat. Sadly, leftover pasta does not tend to freeze well.

Other Delicious Pasta Recipes To Try

• Pasta Pomodoro
• Pasta Puttanesca
• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Aglio e Olio
• Cacio e Pepe
• Chicken Spaghetti
• Orecchiette With Sausage And Broccoli