Description
A comforting and creamy pasta dish made with tender broccoli, a silky Parmesan cream sauce, and perfectly cooked pasta, ideal for quick weeknight dinners or cozy meals.
Ingredients
- Pasta: 340 grams dried pasta such as penne or fusilli
- Broccoli florets: 300 grams fresh broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
- Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
- Garlic: 4 cloves, finely minced
- Heavy cream: 240 milliliters
- Vegetable broth: 120 milliliters
- Parmesan cheese: 60 grams, freshly grated
- Butter: 1 tablespoon
- Salt: 1 teaspoon, or to taste
- Black pepper: 0.5 teaspoon, freshly ground
- Red pepper flakes: 0.25 teaspoon, optional
- Lemon zest: 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until al dente according to package instructions.
- Add the broccoli florets to the pasta water during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
- Drain the pasta and broccoli together, reserving 120 milliliters of the pasta cooking water.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a wide skillet over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and heavy cream, stir gently, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add the grated Parmesan cheese and stir until the sauce becomes smooth and creamy.
- Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce and toss gently to coat.
- Add reserved pasta water gradually until the desired sauce consistency is reached.
- Season with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest, then remove from heat and serve warm.
Notes
- Use freshly grated Parmesan for the smoothest sauce texture.
- Do not overcook the broccoli to keep it bright green and slightly crisp.
- Add pasta water gradually to control the creaminess of the sauce.
- Reheat leftovers gently with a splash of milk or broth to restore the sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
Keywords: creamy broccoli pasta, vegetarian pasta, easy pasta dinner, broccoli pasta recipe, creamy pasta recipe