This is one of my best emergency quick dinner ideas and 2-in-1 veg plus carb side dish. Broccoli, pasta and not much else, it’s a little bit lemony, a little bit cheesy and a whole lot of yum. The broccoli is cooked with the pasta then stirred vigorously with sauce to make it juicy and saucy
Add this to your arsenal of broccoli recipes – this one is a keeper!
Super QUICK broccoli pasta!
If you dream of 12 minute dinner magic, you’re going to love this broccoli recipe as much as I do. It’s for all those days when:
you’re staring at broccoli with not much else in the pantry, wondering how on earth you’re going to transform that into a totally delicious meal;
it’s a mad house and you just need to get dinner on the table, stat!
you want to hide a LOT of broccoli in something that everyone will love. There’s 2 whole heads in this – but it definitely doesn’t seem like it!
you’re after a quick side dish to serve with that charcoal chook you picked up enroute home, the sticky chicken thighs or crispy pan fried fish you’re making, those marinated pork chops or the garlic butter mushrooms you’re roasting in the oven.
It’s also what you make when you’re a food blogger who can’t resist a bargain and “accidentally” brought home SIX heads of broccoli…..😂
What goes in broccoli pasta
Here’s what all you need to make this:
Broccoli – TWO BIG HEADS!
Some kind of pasta – preferably short, but even long will work
Some kind of cheese – either parmesan or something that can melt into the sauce (both is the best case scenario)
Some kind of fat – preferably extra virgin olive oil, otherwise normal olive oil or butter
So even if you have just the above 4 ingredients, your broccoli pasta is still going to be very tasty – everything else I use is a flavour bonus!
I love using lemon in this recipe – but it’s optional. It’s not a strong tangy lemon flavour, it’s in the background and helps create more sauce to toss through the pasta without adding tons of oil.
12 minute broccoli recipe!
This is not a Jamie Oliver 15 Minute Meals type recipe where you use every appliance, pot and pan in your kitchen and it’s a whirlwind of frantic chaos for 15 30 minutes then you spend a good 40 minutes cleaning up afterwards.
No no no! This is a totally effortless 12 minute recipe with a great flow to it. Here’s how it goes down:
Cook pasta per the packet directions.
Chop & cook broccoli – While the pasta is cooking, chop the broccoli then add it into the water when the pasta is 2 minutes from being done.
Make sauce – Make the simple lemony pasta sauce
Scoop out 1 cup pasta cooking water <– KEY STEP! This is how we make plenty of sauce without using tons of oil! Add 1/2 cup of this into the sauce and shake (reserve the rest of the water for later in case you need it).
Put everything in pot – Drain the pasta and return to the same pot. Add the Sauce and cheese,
Toss the pasta, sauce, water and cheese until it’s nice and juicy. Then DEVOUR!!
I always struggle to capture how juicy pastas like this are – when the sauce is clear rather than bright red and meaty like Bolognese. If you’re not convinced with the photos, watch the quick recipe video below!
I haven’t loaded this Broccoli Pasta with tons of cheese. I use it more to create the sauce, rather than making this a really cheesy pasta. Also an attempt to keep the calorie count to a respectable level for a big bowl.
However, this Cheese-Loving Carb Monster will certainly not judge if you choose to be (way) more generous with the cheese.
Go on, do it, do it, do it! *she whispers cheekily in your ear* 😂 ~ Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Really Quick Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 350g / 12 oz dried short pasta (I used small shells)
- 2 broccoli heads (BIG!)
- 1 cup shredded cheese (or more!)
Pasta Sauce (Notes for subs):
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (or more!)
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup parmesan , finely grated
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tsp mixed dried herbs (or fresh!)
- 1/2 tsp+ red pepper flakes (add more if you want spicy!)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Serving:
- More parmesan
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Boil a large pot of water with 2 tsp salt, add pasta.
While pasta is cooking:
- Chop broccoli: Chop broccoli into small florets.
- Cook broccoli: Add broccoli into water 1 – 2 minutes before pasta is cooked.
- Sauce ingredients in jar: Place Sauce ingredients in a jar with lid.
- Reserve pasta water: SCOOP OUT 1 cup pasta cooking water just before draining. Then drain and return pasta back into same pot on turned off stove.
- Add pasta water into Sauce: Add 1/2 cup pasta water to Pasta Sauce jar, shake well.
- Add Sauce & Cheese to pasta: Pour Sauce and add cheese into pot with pasta.
- Stir then serve! Stir vigorously, adding more pasta water if required. Add more salt and pepper if required. Serve immediately, garnished with parmesan.
Recipe Notes:
- Pasta – any short pasta is fine here, macaroni/elbow, twirls, penne, ziti, orecchiette etc.
- Broccoli – this dish can take loads of broccoli, and still worth making even if you’re a bit short (or scale recipe down – click on servings and slide).
- Cheese – any melting cheese fine here, preferably flavoured like cheddar, Monterey Jack, tasty, gruyere, Swiss. Mozzarella also fine but you’ll probably need more salt.
- Parmesan – store bought pre grated fine in this recipe. OK if you don’t have (as long as you have shredded cheese!)
- Lemon – not intended to be a full on lemon pasta, but the subtle tang and hint of lemon is terrific. Feel free to jack up the lemon flavour. Subs: 1.5 tbsp more oil or a mild vinegar like white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, even rice wine.
- Garlic – could stir through green onions instead, or add 1/2 tsp garlic or onion powder into Sauce. OR finely grate any onion and add 2 tbsp it into dressing (juices and all).
- Herbs – mixed herbs includes a bit of rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano, dried basil. Feel free to use any you want, skip it, OR use fresh herbs
- 1/2 cup sliced fresh basil right at the end would be amazing
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup chives, parsley
- 2 tbsp oregano
- Red pepper flakes – for touch of heat, totally optional
- Sugar – totally optional (takes edge off the sour)
Nutrition Information:
Originally published April 2019. Post refreshed in October 2021 along with new video edits. No change to recipe – I wouldn’t dare touch it!
More broccoli recipes
I’m a big fan of broccoli so I’ve shared quite a few recipes. Love the flavour, how versatile it is and it’s good for you!
Chicken broccoli rice casserole – tastes like a cheesy risotto, but so much easier to make!
Broccoli gratin – creamy yet no cream with a golden crunchy top
Browse all Broccoli recipes
Life of Dozer
Dozer on the RIGHT side of the counter at Pet-O! I swear that place is Disney Land for dogs. He gets lavished with attention by everyone who works there, sooo many treats, then he runs around like a loon in the warehouse, grabbing toys and treats off the shelves, leaving me with no option other than to buy them.
I grumble and complain every time I spend way more than intended, and yet the thought of leaving him at home to go to the pet store without him never crosses my mind (and the one time I had to, the staff were very concerned about his well being!).
Hi Nagi. Absolutely going to make this. Loving the pasta sauce. (I usually make something similar but with spaghetti and spaghetti sauce). So, this lemony sauce looks exciting …I am tasting it already. Thank you.
As for Dozer, omg …adorable as ever.
Enjoy the day! Hugs 😊
Hi Gail! Hope you do get a chance to try this, it’s SO GOOD! No hugs for Dozer right now, just back form the beach and he rolled in stinky seaweed 🤢
Love this recipe. So yummy and just perfect for when I’m looking for vegetarian or when I don’t feel like cooking much. Thank you
YES. My thoughts exactly! 🙂 N x
We had this last night as our Meatless Monday meal. It was delicious!
Love Dozer!
So glad to hear that Martha!! Thanks for leaving your feedback 🙂 N x
Thank you for Yumy meal, will make this ASAS.. I’ve just got all clear by the Drs, very pleased with blood test. Also got remainder how serious it was. So bring on broccoli and anything green. Love, love Dozer photo wish I was there staff. Once went to such shop to by Maza treats and end up spending all money on her and NO shopping…..Please say no more. Q: is your line OK now?? Enjoy last of warm weather.
I’m so glad to hear that Vera!! I myself just got my checkup done and got stern words from the doc to watch my nutrition intake…. 😩 More veg! Less saturated fats! I’m inhaling LOADS of veggies at the moment! N x
Perfect for a full meal for me on a busy work day ! One head of broccoli, fusilli pasta and fresh herbs . . . 10 minutes to a glass of white wine and a yum 🙂 !
YES! I picked this as one you’d like Eha, I feel kind of pumped I got it right! 😂
Hi Nagi! This looks like a perfect meal to me! Just give me a bowl of this and a spoon and I’d be happy! I never buy pre-shredded cheese as it contains cellulose which is basically sawdust. Yuck! Dozer certainly does know how to “play the ladies”.
Were we chatting about this?? I definitely remember talking to someone about that very topic! I found some brands who use essentially cornstarch 🙂 Much better! N x
Are you joking…we are consuming sawdust in pre shredded cheese….
Dorothy is right! All pre shredded cheese has some kind of anti caking agent, and some of them use a type that does indeed have a derivative of sawdust in it…. 😂
I saw the recipe this morning and made it this afternoon. Needed a pasta side dish for our BBQ baby back ribs (we always made Mac & cheese and I was tired of it).
I had everything in the pantry but the pasta. 5 lbs of spaghetti, but no bows, shells, or anything similar?? Drove 30 mins to get just the pasta (and couple of bottles of wine).
And yes, it turned out amazing! Everybody loved it. One of the guests asked for a small container to take some home.
Okay, I followed the recipe to the tee, as I always do for the first time. Used one cup of sharp Vermont cheddar. Next time, I’ll use more, just like Nagi suggested.
This recipe is a keeper, hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
YOU DROVE 30 MINUTES FOR PASTA????!!! 😂 Wow, boy am I glad it was enjoyed!! N xx PS Totally increase the cheese. Totally!!! N x
Hi Nagi,
While I love your work, as a spouse of a wife who passed from cancer, and an understander that cancer eats sugar, if it were me, I would eliminate the sugar, halve the pasta and double the brocs.
Oh Steven, I am so sorry to hear your wife is no longer with us 🙁 And yes to healthifying it, I’ve done that myself (actually, I added cauliflower too, cause it’s the same colour as pasta I barely noticed it! 😂)
This will become a go-to for me over the next while…love both pasta and broccoli so it’s perfect for me.
That picture speaks a thousand words without saying a thing…look at the love in the eyes of the one holding the treat! Dozer indeed has his own following, thanks for sharing your furbaby with us Nagi.
I’d love to hear what you think if you get a chance to try it Leah! As for Dozer? All he wants is the treat. He just thinks about his tummy!!
Just want to tell you that I am appreciate the slide for different numbers of servings, also tell your mom I enjoy her recipes as much as yours
I sent her this message! She loved it 🙂 Thanks Peingpen! N x
Hi Nagi! How do you think this recipe would translate as a cold, summer salad dish?
Hi Karen! REALLY good. Because the lemony sauce is basically a dressing, then the cheese sort of melts through it, it ends up being quite slick with sauce so it’s still a bit juicy even when it cools down. If serving at room temp, I’d probably make it a teeny bit more tangy, and finish with parmesan. I’ll share a broccoli pasta salad like this leading up to your summer if you want! I would love it – I just worry about overloading people with broccoli recipes 😂
This recipe sounds wonderful, although I would reduce the amount of pasta and increase the amount of cheese (I need less carbs and more protein). Also want to let you know that I really like the scaling widget. Great idea!
I’ve almost halved the pasta and it was still delicious! It does become more list broccoli with pasta, rather than a broccoli pasta, if that makes sense! But still so delish! N x
Hi, Nagi! Haven’t cooked the broccoli pasta yet . . . but I plan to soon. Your recipes always look so good, taste so good and make a lot of sense!
Dozer’s doing his job! Everybody loves him!
Best —
Nadine
If we consider Dozer’s job to be simply to be cute, beg for treats and hassle for play time, then yes he is doing an EXCELLENT job 😂 N x
Now this is the way I can get Jon to eat his greens! It’s practically the only way, haha. Looks delicious Nagi!
YES! It is SUCH a good way to cram in loads of hidden greens 😂 N x