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!).
I didn’t have broccoli so I used peas and loved it. Thank you so much. I’ve loved everything I’ve made from your site.
Perfect Alexandra! N x
Another amazing recipe by Nagi! So simple, but delicious!! Thank you.
This was delicious, and quick too, which is always a great combination! Just a question if you don’t mind – what type of salt do you typically use in your recipes? Thanks!
Made this tonight – so easy and SO delicious! I think the lemon is the star ingredient. Will def make it again 👌🏼
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Lauren! N x
One word. Delicious!
Thanks so much Gill! N x
Looks so good! Will this be as good with brown rice pasta? Can I still use the pasta water? Thank you!
Hi James, most definitely!! N x
Delicioso 🥦
Giiiiiiirl you weren’t kidding about quick! It was so fast I thought I must’ve made a mistake somehow lol.
It was of course also delish and we doubled everything and made the most ginormous pot of this but nobody is complaining! It’s definitely going on our regular dinner rotation, thanks Nagi! (:
Wahoo, I’m so happy you enjoyed it Kim! N x
This has become one of our favorite pasta meals. Super quick, yet very satisfying! We love the red pepper flakes in it. Thank you for sharing!
Hi , can I use frozen broccoli for this recipe ?
Sure can – just defrost first 🙂 N x
Love this dish. Made it tonight but halved the qty. Will definitely make it again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Heidi! N x
Made this for dinner last night, I added some shredded chicken leftover from our Sunday roast, it was fabulous 😊 the leftovers (not that there was much) was even nicer for lunch today!! It’s a recpie I’ll be coming back to!👍🏻 On lockdown here in Ireland 🇮🇪☘️💚 and this was a real pick me up👍🏻
Perfect Therese! N x
i made a vegan version of this and it was soooooo delicious. i used daiya shredded cheddar cheese and lime (it was all i had on hand and we’re currently in coronavirus lockdown) and it was really good and super simple. thank you!
That’s great to hear Fran! N x
Super easy and delicious. Comfort food for the whole family. Took literally about 15min to prepare for my family of 6.
RMade this great side dish like so many of your other recipes it is superb . Thanks for all your great recipes .sorry for some reason I couldn’t rate
Thanks so much for the awesome feedback Richard!
Delicious and so easy to whip up !
I added more hot chilli flakes and was perfect .
Wahoo, sounds great Sue!
This was a great recipe! The sauce base is nice, but I feel like it would taste better with fish. As I was eating it I felt as if there was shrimp or prawn in it or should’ve been even though there wasn’t. I would love to see a recipe with the similar garlic + lemon combo but incorporating seafood. 🙂
Made this tonight exactly as written and the whole family loved it! We will make this every week now. I loved the minimal prep and cleanup and it’s easy on the wallet. Thank you for sharing!
YES!!! That’s awesome Kaitlin!
I am a huge fan of variations on the pasta + broccoli + olive oil + garlic + chilli combination and always keen to expand my repertoire. This is quick, easy and delicious as promised – the lemon and zest really make this sing! For anyone making this for the first time / who isn’t a dervish with the chopping knife, I’d get the broccoli and garlic chopped and the parmesan grated before throwing the pasta in, and avoid a panicked race against cooking pasta (yep, I felt a bit like that Jamie Oliver 15 minute recipe spoof I laughed at while reading the recipe!). I reckon aiming for 20 minutes (start when putting the pasta water on the stove?) and a few sips of wine while cooking is more relaxed and realistic and still makes this one of the quickest yum recipes you’ll have up your sleeve for those “where did the time go?!?” weeknights.
I made this tonight to bring to a friend’s and it was great. Can’t wait to make it again for my own family. The only problem I had was that the cheese got clumpy in spots. Not sure why. But it was still delicious!
Hi Lisa, sorry you’s clumped up!! Can I ask what cheese you used? – N x
I used shredded Parmesan.