Looking for quick dinner recipe? Here’s 20 minutes broccoli pasta that you family will love. This easy to make super tasty pasta fix is perfect for busy weekdays.
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What You’ll Need
How To Make Broccoli Pasta
This recipe is super simple and easy to make. With multitasking you have dinner ready in 20 minutes or less. Here’s how you make broccoli pasta with multitasking.
- Have two pots on stove. One large pot with enough water to cook pasta and second pot a steamer with little water. Bring water to boil on both pots on high heat.
- Salt boiling water in pasta, throw in pasta to cook in boiling water as per packed instructions.
- TIP: always remove pasta 2-3 minutes before the mentioned time in your packet. Cook pasta al-dente always. Pasta continues to cook afterwards plus we will be stirring it in sauce.
- While pasta cooks, quickly chop broccoli head. Cut broccoli into small bite size florets so it’s easy to eat.
- Make the pasta dressing by adding olive oil, little salt and cracked pepper, dried herbs, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice to a jar with lid. Cover lid, shake vigorously.
- Steam broccoli florets for 2-3 minutes. Remove broccoli from steamer before it get cooked through. Alternatively you can also blanch broccoli in boiling water.
- Pro-Tip: reserve about 1 cup of pasta water. This water will be added in the end, it brings the dish together making it creamy.
- Drain al-dente pasta, keep aside.
- Melt butter in a large pot.
- Saute minced garlic for 2 minutes with constant stirring.
- Add onion powder, red chili flakes, salt and ground pepper to taste, stir well.
- Add the cream along with ¼ cup of pasta water reserved. Stir everything together. Do not boil the cream mix, cook until just heated.
- Turn off heat.
- While sauce is still hot, add cooked pasta steamed broccoli, pasta dressing and grated cheese.
- Stir everything together.
- Add pasta water as needed to bring the dish together.
- Note: looking at the photo it’s hard to believe this dish is creamy and cheesy! Trust me, it’s creamy. You won’t be disappointed. I took for every to shoot the pics one after another. And the sauce kept drying. Too much distraction from the family.
- Serve immediately.
Helpful Tips
- Chop broccoli into small pieces so it cooks fast and easy to eat.
- Adjust red pepper flakes quantity according to your heat tolerance levels.
- A combination of Parmesan cheese (freshly grated) and cheddar -mozzarella cheese (freshly grated from the block) tastes great. Parmesan cheese adds umami savory flavor and mozzarella-cheddar cheese that melts well adds rich taste to broccoli pasta dish. You can use any cheese that melts well – white cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss cheese, Monterey Jack will work.
- Pasta dressing does not overpower the dish with lemony-tang flavor. It’s not like the regular lemon broccoli pasta, dressing adds subtle tang to the dish which is amazing.
Frequently asked questions
You can steam broccoli florets, blanch in boiling water or roast it in oven. You want to briefly cook broccoli to help keep broccoli crispier. Do not overcook broccoli.
Steam – you’ll need not more than 3 minutes to steam broccoli in a steamer.
Blanch – add small broccoli florets to boiling water and blanch briefly for 2 minutes.
Roast in oven – roast in pre-heated oven at 400°F for 20 minutes or until it begins to brown.
Yes you can. Thaw first, drain excess water then use.
Yes you can use any type of pasta you have on hand. Short pasta like penne, rotini, macaroni (or elbow pasta), ziti will work.
Consistency of diary (heavy cream) is slightly altered when you freeze and reheat. Having said that yes, you can freeze. Hold the cheese to the added to the recipe if you freezing. Cook everything else according to the recipe, stir everything together (except cheese) and freeze.
To reheat frozen pasta, thaw in refrigerator first then reheat in microwave.
I prefer to store broccoli pasta refrigerator. It stays good for 3 days.
MORE PASTA RECIPES
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
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20 Minutes Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz. pasta
- 2 heads broccoli about 4 cups
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoon red chili flakes adjust quantity according to your heat tolerance level
- 2 teaspoon mixed herbs
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup cream
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 cup cheese that melts cheddar, mozzarella
Instructions
- Have two pots on stove. One large pot with enough water to cook pasta and second pot a steamer with little water. Bring water to boil on both pots on high heat.
- Salt boiling water in pasta, throw in pasta to cook in boiling water as per packed instructions.TIP: always remove pasta 2-3 minutes before the mentioned time in your packet. Cook pasta al-dente always. Pasta continues to cook afterwards plus we will be stirring it in sauce.
- While pasta cooks, quickly chop broccoli head. Cut broccoli into small bite size florets so it’s easy to eat.
- Make the pasta dressing by adding olive oil, little salt and cracked pepper, dried herbs, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice to a jar with lid. Cover lid, shake vigorously.
- Steam broccoli florets for 2-3 minutes. Remove broccoli from steamer before it get cooked through. Alternatively you can also blanch broccoli in boiling water.Pro-Tip: reserve about 1 cup of pasta water. This water will be added in the end, it brings the dish together making it creamy.
- Drain al-dente pasta, keep aside.
- Melt butter in a large pot.
- Saute minced garlic for 2 minutes with constant stirring.
- Add onion powder, red chili flakes, salt and ground pepper to taste, stir well.
- Add the cream along with ¼ cup of pasta water reserved. Stir everything together. Do not boil the cream mix, cook until just heated.
- Turn off heat.
- While sauce is still hot, add cooked pasta steamed broccoli, pasta dressing and grated cheese.
- Stir everything together.
- Add pasta water as needed to bring the dish together.
- Note: looking at the photo it’s hard to believe this dish is creamy and cheesy! Trust me, it’s creamy. You won’t be disappointed. I took for every to shoot the pics one after another. And the sauce kept drying. Too much distraction from the family.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Chop broccoli into small pieces so it cooks fast and easy to eat.
- Adjust red pepper flakes quantity according to your heat tolerance levels.
- A combination of Parmesan cheese (freshly grated) and cheddar -mozzarella cheese (freshly grated from the block) tastes great. Parmesan cheese adds umami savory flavor and mozzarella-cheddar cheese that melts well adds rich taste to broccoli pasta dish. You can use any cheese that melts well – white cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss cheese, Monterey Jack will work.
- Pasta dressing does not overpower the dish with lemony-tang flavor. It’s not like the regular lemon broccoli pasta, dressing adds subtle tang to the dish which is amazing.
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