Pasta with Broccoli is a one-pot meal ready in about 45 minutes! The broccoli is cooked down until it envelopes the pasta in a garlicky sauce. You'll love this authentic Italian recipe from Naples!
For the love of broccoli, you need to make this. Pasta with broccoli is one of my favorite vegetarian meals, one that I cook probably every six weeks, to the delight of my household.
It's comforting, crave-worthy and comes together in 45 minutes, tops.
If you've been following my blog, this one-pot recipe will sound similar to pasta with zucchini, authentic pasta e fagioli and pasta e piselli (pasta with peas).
Like those meals, pasta with broccoli, as prepared in Naples, is a cross between soup and a pasta dish. By the time you ladle out the servings, most of the liquid will have absorbed.
We're not draining the water?
No, we're not draining the water here. The pasta with broccoli is made with just enough water to cook it, while providing starchy goodness that clings to the rigatoni.
The trick is to stir the pot (affiliate link) often, to make sure the water gets spooned over all the pasta.
This is the method used in Naples, birthplace of pizza, eggplant parmigiana and the best cooks on earth! I'm not biased at all.
A delicious broccoli sauce
To me, the best part is the broccoli. While there is a time and place for crisp-tender broccoli, this is not that time nor that place.
The broccoli here gets cooked down until it's very soft, with parts of it almost melting, enveloping the pasta in its garlicky goodness. It basically becomes like a broccoli sauce, accented with olive oil, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
Delicious!
I'd be willing to bet even some broccoli haters would enjoy this broccoli pasta. At any rate, I hope you give it a try and love it as much as we do.
Speaking of which, I've got to run. That's my dinner!
(Recipe Source: Adapted from my Mom and Nonna's version. Originally published on November 13, 2014 and updated now with new photos and additional text.)
P.S. If you love broccoli, don't miss my Broccoli with Gremolata or this Broccoli au Gratin with Fontina!
Watch the video with volume on to learn how to make Pasta with Broccoli!
Pasta with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 bunch broccoli
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled & sliced)
- ¼ cup olive oil (plus extra to drizzle on each serving)
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (plus extra for serving)
- ¼ teaspoon plus ⅓ teaspoon salt (divided use)
- 5 ½ cups warm water (divided use)
- 1 pound medium pasta (such as rigatoni or penne)
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for topping each serving)
Instructions
- Rinse the broccoli and pat it dry. Cut off the thick stalks (and discard them) so that you have florets with 2-3 inches of the stems attached. Slice any thicker stems lengthwise in half. Slice your garlic into thin rounds.
- Heat olive oil in a large pasta pot on medium high. Add garlic and cook for two minutes, stirring so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Lower the heat to medium. Noting the time, add broccoli, pepper flakes and¼ teaspoon salt and stir. As soon as the oil evaporates, add ½ cup water (see notes) and stir.
- Cover the pot and let the broccoli cook until it is soft, stirring occasionally. It should take about 25 minutes from the time you added the broccoli to the pot.
- When the broccoli is soft, add 5 cups of water to the pot. Add in ⅓ teaspoon salt and give it a quick stir. Cover the pan and increase the heat to high. When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until it is al dente. (Check for doneness three minutes before the al dente time listed on the package.)
- When the pasta is cooked, do not drain it. Turn off the heat and add in ⅓ cup Parmesan, stirring to combine.
- Serve with extra Parmesan, a drizzle of oil and red pepper flakes. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Ruth
Thanks. I’m trying it tonight. I’ll let you know how it comes out.
Ruth
Hi Mamma C:
right before we were told to shelter in place i panicked and bought an enormous bag of frozen broccoli. I need to start using this before it gets freezer burned. if i use frozen rather than fresh broccoli, should i cut the initial cooking time from 25 min down? I think that the broccoli in this bag is already par boiled.
Thanks,
Ruth
Mamma C
Hi Ruth - I'm just seeing your message now. It went to my spam folder for some reason. The broccoli just needs to be cooked until it's soft. It probably would take less time if it's parboiled.
Cathy
Just finished making and eating it. It is very good and less messy than how I normally make it. How do you heat up the leftovers?
Mamma C
Hi Cathy - I'm so glad you enjoyed the broccoli pasta! I usually just drizzle on some olive oil and heat the leftovers in the microwave. You could use a skillet on the stove if you prefer to fry the pasta.
Cathy
Thanks we just heated it up and it was wonderful. So much easier than how I make it. I love the one pot cooking. Very yummy. If you are thinking about trying this just do it.
Mamma C
Hi Cathy - Oh, good. I'm glad that worked out for you. I love one-pot meals too!
Cathy
I also tried your pasta with peas. It is also very good and a bit different than mine. It's great to try new recipes.
Mamma C
Hi Cathy - I'm so happy you're enjoying the one-pot pasta dishes! You might also like Pasta e Fagioli and Pasta with Zucchini.
Barb
My daughter loves to order pasta broccoli when we are out. I thought I’d try to make the dish at home. My search for 5 stars was fruitless until I stumbled on this recipe. It was well deserved! Not a noodle left!! I read an earlier review that said they should have added more water. I used rigatoni so I added a cup and a half more... you probably don’t need to add more since it was abundant. But the family drank the sauce after the pasta was gone like it was gravy.. not a drop left. I’m not a fan of mushy broccoli, so I added more broccoli after the pasta finished cooking el Dante and let it sit for 3 minutes before I served. It was cooked perfect for my liking. Great meal on a cold Buffalo night, but could see serving in the summer and adding some shrimp in the final stages of cooking. Thank you for sharing! I have bookmarked for future cooking!
Mamma C
Hi Barb - I'm so glad you loved the pasta with broccoli! Thanks for sharing your experience. Adding shrimp sounds good!
Millie
I made this tonight, it was delish! I added about 1 cup of chopped red onion since I had some left over, right after the garlic's 2 minutes in Step 2. I was out of penne-type pasta so I used (gluten-free) spaghetti that I broke in half, which was nice enough but next time I'd prefer to use GF penne. I needed to add additional water while the broccoli cooked, and could have used more than 5 cups for the pasta, which I had to stir like mad to keep it from sticking to itself and to the pot, although in both of those steps I turned the heat down quite a bit. Maybe my stove runs hot, or maybe because I was using an 8-quart pot (don't have a 6-quart) so there was more heated surface. But as I said, it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Mamma C
Hi Millie - I'm so glad you enjoyed this Pasta with Broccoli! It's possible that using the GF broken spaghetti instead of penne or rigatoni would require a bit more water.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
We are confirmed broccoli lovers and I really like the idea of the broccoli making the sauce in this dish. Can't wait to try this!
Mamma C
Hi Amanda - I hope you love this as much as we do!
michele h peterson
I love the idea of cooking the broccoli until its very soft until it's like a sauce. Brilliant and a delicious way to switch it up!
Mamma C
Hi Michele - It's so good this way! Thanks!
Jenni LeBaron
What a fantastic and simple meatless Monday dish. We are big fans of broccoli at my house so this would go over lovely!
Mamma C
It's perfect for meatless Monday! Thanks, Jenni.
Tina
My husband and I are in the mood for something new and we both love pasta. This definitely fits the bill. Especially since I also love broccoli. Thanks for another great recipe!
Mamma C
You're welcome, Tina. Enjoy!
[email protected]+ciaochowbambina
Oh man...I love the idea of melty broccoli enveloping garlicky pasta! This dish is a winner(!) and I love that last picture with the steam coming up. Yum!
Mamma C
Thanks, Annie. I'm lucky I was able to get a couple of "OK" shots, because I was not about to let my pasta get cold! 🙂