If you seek wholesome and delicious recipes you can whip up quickly for the whole family, this PASTA WITH BROCCOLI, GARLIC AND LEMON checks all the boxes. Add it to your weeknight arsenal immediately! This recipe is the latest in my Instagram recipe series, You Got This in 30 Minutes, wherein every recipe is family-friendly and can be made in 30 minutes (or less). I’ve been excited about every single recipe I’ve shared in the series so far and this one is no exception.
This recipe is inspired by the Italian staple, Pasta con Broccoli, which is a comforting, simple dish made with broccoli, garlic, olive oil and pasta water. I’ve seen it with cheese and sometimes without, but my personal vote is with. I really love a quality grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano in this dish for the flavour and the way it melts and binds with the starchy pasta water to create a beautiful sauce.
I add three little twists to my version, so let’s be clear upfront that this isn’t the authentic Italian way. But it is how my family enjoys it and we think it’s delicious!
My twists…
Lemon juice and zest — I love a bit of lemon juice with broccoli and other greens for a touch of brightness, so it makes sense to me for this broccoli-forward dish.
Shallot — I fine-dice shallots for an extra aromatic dimension. You can sub shallot with onion.
Capers — Yes, this one might be controversial. I add a bit of caper ‘paste’ which is just finely mincing capers until they form a paste-like consistency. I’m a huge fan of the brininess and tang of capers, especially in pasta dishes. The caper paste gets sautéed in oil along with the garlic and shallot at the beginning until fragrant, imparting its flavour in the background without being obvious. My husband and children never know it’s there! Feel free to omit the capers if it’s really not your thing - you’re the boss of your own dinner!
What do you think of this recipe? Let me know in comments or on insta. Eat well and be well,
Sonia x
You May Also Be Interested in…
other recipes from the same 30 minute recipe series:
》MUSHROOM AND EGG “GYUDON” JAPANESE RICE BOWL RECIPE
》15 MINUTES ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA RECIPE
PASTA WITH BROCCOLI, GARLIC AND LEMON - HEAD NOTES:
1. Broccoli stems: There is absolutely no reason to not use broccoli stems in the same exact way as the florets, ever. The trick is to trim the end, cut stem off crown, then cut or peel off the fibrous outer layer of the stem before using. The amount you have to shave off depends largely on how fresh the broccoli is – sometimes only a thin layer, sometimes quite a bit. The inner stem is tender and delicious and can be cooked exactly the same as the florets. I cut the stem into ½” pieces for this recipe. Tip: my favourite tool for peeling off the outer layer is a Y-shaped vegetable peeler.
2. Quality olive oil and cheese: Since there are relatively few ingredients in this easy recipe, do use a quality extra virgin olive oil and quality cheese, i.e. not pre-grated parmesan in a tub, for best results.
3. Pasta water: Take care to ensure pasta water is salted perfectly. I can’t emphasize this enough especially for simple recipes like this. It makes the difference between a flavourful versus bland dish. If you don’t season pasta from within (during cooking), it is difficult to salt at the end to achieve the same result. I add 2 tbsp kosher salt per pound of pasta cooked in about 3 quarts of water. That said, even kosher salt varies in salinity from brand to brand. Your best bet is to taste and adjust until the water “tastes like the sea”.
4. Capers: I love mincing capers into a paste to flavour pastas. My family never knows it’s there but it creates a little more depth in flavour in the background with its brininess. Skip it or use less if you don’t like capers. You do you!
PASTA WITH BROCCOLI, GARLIC AND LEMON
Recipe serves 4.
INGREDIENTS
1½ lb (675g) broccoli, cut into small florets, stems peeled and cut into ½” pieces (~8C) (note 1)
1 lb (450g) dry short pasta of choice
¼ C good quality extra virgin olive oil (note 2)
5-6 garlic cloves, minced (~ 2 tbsp)
1 medium sized shallot, finely chopped (~ ¼ C)
1-2 tbsp capers, drained and minced into paste-like consistency (optional – note 4)
1 C (90g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano, separated (note 2)
Zest of half a lemon
Squeezes of lemon juice to taste
Kosher salt
To serve:
Reserved grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Dried red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black peppercorn
METHOD.
Preheat a 5- or 6-quart Dutch oven or pot over medium heat.
Separately, fill a pasta pot with 3 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt (or amount needed for water to “taste as salty as the sea”) and place broccoli pieces in to blanch about 2 minutes or just becoming tender but still bright green and firm.
While broccoli is blanching, add olive oil, shallots, garlic and capers into the other pot to sauté. Once broccoli is done, use a slotted spoon or handheld colander to transfer from boiling water into the pot with the shallots-garlic-caper mixture. Toss and turn down the heat to medium-low. Salt to taste and let it continue to cook, stirring occasionally.
Add pasta into the same pot of boiling water used to blanch the broccoli. Cook according to package instructions for al dente, minus 1-2 minutes. Use slotted spoon or handheld colander to transfer pasta to broccoli, reserving the pasta water (or reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining pasta).
Turn heat down to low. Add ½ cup pasta water and cook for 1-2 minutes more until pasta is the desired texture, adding more splashes of pasta water as needed. Add ¾ cup of the grated cheese (keeping the remaining ¼ cup for serving), lemon zest and lemon juice. Adjust with more pasta water as needed to get a starchy, silky sauce (I tend to use the full 1 cup of pasta water). Mix well and serve with reserved cheese, red pepper flakes and black pepper as desired.
🎥 watch my IG video for Pasta with Broccoli, Garlic and Lemon
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the blog comments. And if you make it, I’d love to hear about it. Tag me on Instagram so I can see!