For whatever reason, I do not cook with broccoli. In fact, the last recipe I posted on my blog that included broccoli was in 2012!
I don’t exactly love broccoli, but I started feeling bad about my lack of broccoli in my cooking. So. Here’s a simple but delicious pasta recipe that comes together fast enough for busy weeknights!
This recipe is basically Pasta al Limone with broccoli thrown in. (I love pasta and lemons together. I’ve made Spinach Lemon Ricotta Pasta, Squash Ribbon Pasta with Lemon Herb Cream Sauce, Creamy Lemon Pasta with Vegetables, Linguine with Lemon Sauce, Spring Vegetable Penne with Lemon-Cream Sauce… are you sensing a theme here?)
Ingredients:
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 16 ounces long pasta, like spaghetti or fettuccine
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- the zest and juice of 3 lemons
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
When the water is boiling, add in the broccoli florets and cook for 3 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon and add to the ice water. Let cool completely before draining.
Add the pasta to the same pot of boiling water. Cook for 1 minute less than the package directions for al dente. Drain, reserving at least 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
While the pasta cooks, add the olive oil to a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute, being careful not to brown the garlic.
Add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup pasta water.
Add the pasta and toss in the mixture. Add in the butter, and continue to toss the pasta until the butter completely melts.
Stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano a little bit at a time until it evenly coats the pasta. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Gently toss in the broccoli florets until warmed through.
Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil, more cheese, and fresh parsley.
The lemon works really nicely with the brightness of the broccoli. The Parmigiano Reggiano cheese melts into a silky sauce, coating the pasta so you get the flavor of the sauce in every bite.
This makes for a nice weeknight dinner that comes together in about 30 minutes, don’t you think?
Ingredients
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 16 ounces long pasta, like spaghetti or fettuccine
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- the zest and juice of 3 lemons
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
- When the water is boiling, add in the broccoli florets and cook for 3 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon and add to the ice water. Let cool completely before draining.
- Add the pasta to the same pot of boiling water. Cook for 1 minute less than the package directions for al dente. Drain, reserving at least 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
- While the pasta cooks, add the olive oil to a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute, being careful not to brown the garlic.
- Add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup pasta water.
- Add the pasta and toss in the mixture. Add in the butter, and continue to toss the pasta until the butter completely melts.
- Stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano a little bit at a time until it evenly coats the pasta. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
- Gently toss in the broccoli florets until warmed through.
- Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil, more cheese, and fresh parsley.
What do you think?