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Really Quick Broccoli Pasta

A bowl of broccoli pasta topped with grated cheese, with a piece of Parmesan and grater beside it.
Broccoli pasta with Parmesan, ready to serve.

Short pasta, broccoli, lemon, and cheese come together in a bright, saucy weeknight meal.

By Cookin' KitchenUpdated

  • Total: 15 minutes
  • Servings: 4 servings

Recipe

Really Quick Broccoli Pasta

Short pasta, broccoli, lemon, and cheese come together in a bright, saucy weeknight meal.

Cookin' · https://cookin.club/recipes/really-quick-broccoli-pasta

Prep
5 minutes
Cook
10 minutes
Total
15 minutes
Servings
4

Ingredients

4 servings

For 4 servings

Pasta and broccoli

Pasta sauce

To serve

Instructions

  1. Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 tsp salt. Add the pasta.

  2. Step 2: While the pasta cooks, chop the broccoli into small florets.

  3. Step 3: Add the broccoli to the pasta water 1 to 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked.

    A six-panel sequence showing pasta cooking, broccoli in a pot, sauce being shaken in a jar, pasta water being added, cheese stirred into the pasta, and the finished mixture.
  4. Step 4: Put the sauce ingredients in a lidded jar.

  5. Step 5: Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the same pot, with the stove turned off.

  6. Step 6: Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce jar and shake well.

  7. Step 7: Pour the sauce into the pot with the pasta and add the shredded cheese.

  8. Step 8: Stir vigorously, adding more pasta water if needed. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan.

Notes

Use any short pasta. For the melting cheese, cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gruyère, Swiss, or mozzarella are options; mozzarella may need more salt. Lemon is optional, and the amount can be increased for a stronger lemon flavor.

The recipe serves 4 as a main or 6 to 8 as a side.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
634 kcal
Fat
29 g
Saturated fat
9 g
Carbohydrates
71 g
Sugar
5 g
Fiber
6 g
Protein
23 g
Sodium
768 mg
Cholesterol
31 mg

Estimated values; they will vary with the exact ingredients and brands you use.

About this recipe

This saucy broccoli pasta pairs short pasta and tender broccoli with a lemony, cheesy sauce. It works as a main meal or as a vegetable-and-carb side.

Broccoli pasta ingredients arranged on a counter, including broccoli, short pasta, cheese, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and seasonings.
The ingredients for broccoli pasta.

Reserve pasta water before draining. A little goes into the sauce, and the rest can help loosen the pasta as you toss everything together.

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