This authentic broccoli pasta recipe, called pasta con broccoli, comes straight from Tuscany. Learn how to make this simple, delicious vegetarian meal- one of our most popular orecchiette recipes on the blog! Video.
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R. Ingersoll
After taking a week-long cooking class in Tuscany my good friend Mark brought back this traditional Tuscan recipe and made it for his wife. Truth be told, when my friend Sonna first described it to me- how the broccoli was cooked down for a long time, I had some reservations.
The thought of mushy broccoli seemed really odd, but as she continued describing how luscious and creamy the broccoli sauce became once it cooked down, and how the orecchiette pasta cradled it so lovingly, my interest was piqued.
So broccoli pasta became our dinner last night, and I must say, it was delicious!
Watch how to make pasta con broccoli,
ORECCHIETTE BROCCOLI IngredienTs
- Broccoli Florets – you can use fresh broccoli or frozen!
- Orecchiette pasta- translates to “little ear”. An ear-shaped pasta that literally cradles the sauce. Feel free to use other pasta shapes.
- Extra virgin olive Oil– adds rich creamy flavor to the sauce
- Chili flakes – for a milder flavor try Aleppo or Urfa Biber.
- Anchovy paste- for a vegan option, sub white miso paste (or sub 1-2 mashed whole anchovies)
- Veggie broth or chicken broth
- Pecorino cheese– freshly grated is BEST here as pre-grated often has caking agents that prevent the sauce from getting creamy. Sub parmesan, FYI, pecorino is saltier.
- Lemon Zest– for a little brightness.
- Baby Spinach– just a little handful to give the sauce more vibrant color.
- Optional Garnishes: truffle oil, fresh basil ribbons, toasted pine nuts, toasted bread crumbs, or olives.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Why You’ll Love Pasta con broccoli
- It is packed with nutrition! Lots of broccoli in the sauce along with garlic, lemon and chili flakes. Good clean ingredients!
- Easy to make! Steam broccoli, sauté aromatics, combine (blend if a smooth sauce is desired), and serve over cooked pasta with pecorino.
- Tasty and Creamy! It has a velvety mouth feel without tons of added fat. Kids like this sauce too!
How to make Broccoli Pasta
Step one: Steam the broccoli, cook the pasta, and save the hot, salted pasta water.
TIP: Throw the broccoli in a strainer in the boiling pasta water to save time and the extra pot.
I used a whole 12-ounce bag of broccoli florets (about 6 cups, packed) cut into smaller pieces and then steamed until tender.
Step two: Saute garlic, chili flakes and shallots, in olive oil , when fragrant, add the steamed broccoli and veggie broth, cooking until it falls apart, melts, and cooks down into a sauce (you can help break it apart with a metal spatula).
Take your time here, so the sauce is not grainy, you want the broccoli really soft.
Step Three: Create depth. Stir in pecorino cheese, a little anchovie paste if you like, or even miso paste. Add lemon zest. Taste, adjust salt and pepper and get the sauce to taste how you like, loosening the sauce with hot pasta water.
Step Four: Use your immersion blender here, right in the pan ( or add this to a blender). To add more vibrant color, add a handful of baby spinach and blend this in! (Or place the sauce in your blender).
Step Five: Add the cooked pasta and again taste for salt. Add a little warm pasta water if you like it looser or saucier.
Step Six: Garnish with lots of chili flakes, lemon zest and more grated pecorino cheese. Serve it up in your favorite pasta bowl.
Storage
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in a saucepan, adding a splash of water if needed, or microwave.
What to Serve With Orecchiette Broccoli
Serve with a leafy green salad and crusty bread!
pasta con broccoli FAQS
Broccoli that has been steamed and blended (optional) with broth, garlic, lemon zest and chili flakes.
Orecchiette translates to “little ear”. An ear-shaped pasta that literally cradles the sauce.
Lemon, pecorino and parmesan cheese, pine nuts, walnuts, garlic, onion, shallots, basil, bread crumbs, and olives.
Orecchiette Pasta with Broccoli Sauce should be on your next menu plan- it’s full of great broccoli nutrients and flavor, your kids will love this too!
More Recipes You May Like
- Steamed Broccoli with Garlic, Chili & Lemon Zest
- Best Pasta Recipes
- Vegan Broccoli & Cheddar Soup
- Grilled Broccolini
- Creamy Broccoli Pesto Soup
- Perfect Roasted Broccoli
- Easy Dinner Ideas
- Lemon Pasta
xoxo
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
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Orecchiette Broccoli Recipe
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: vegetarian main
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Orecchiette Broccoli Sauce (pasta con broccoli) a simple vegetarian pasta dish hailing from Tuscany that is easy to make, healthy and oh so delicious!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces broccoli florets- cut or broken into very small florets about equal size (about 6 cups packed)
- 8 ounces short pasta- orecchiette pasta, penne, rigatoni, etc
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (don’t skimp here!)
- 1 fat shallot, diced -or half a white or yellow onion
- 6 garlic cloves- rough chopped
- generous pinch chili flakes ( Aleppo or Urfa biber is nice here)
- generous pinch salt and pepper, more to taste
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste ( or sub white miso paste)
- 2 cups veggie broth or chicken broth
- 1–2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/4 cup fresh grated pecorino cheese
- small handful baby spinach (or arugula), chopped for more vibrant color
- Optional Garnish: pecorino cheese, lemon zest, truffle oil, fresh basil ribbons, toasted pine nuts, toasted bread crumbs, capers, truffle oil or kalamata olives– all optional.
Instructions
- Steam small broccoli florets until very tender (easily pierced with a fork) then chop and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in 8 cups water with 1 tablespoon salt (measure), Save a cup of hot pasta water when you drain.
- In a large pan, saute the shallot and garlic and chili flakes in the olive oil, over medium heat until fragrant and golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the miso paste (or anchovy), then add steamed broccoli, salt, pepper and the broth.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and break apart the broccoli with a metal spatula into tiny pieces. As it cooks and softens it will get easier to break apart. You want the broccoli to melt down into a “sauce ” – take your time here, adding more liquid as needed.
- Stir in the lemon zest and pecorino cheese. Continue simmering gently on low heat until half of the liquid evaporates and it becomes the consistency of a thick sauce, about 10 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender right in the saucepan and add a small handful of chopped baby spinach and blend until smooth. Using the full 3 tablespoons of olive oil will help make the sauce “creamy”. (Alternatively, place the sauce in a blender with spinach).
- Combine. Add the pasta to the sauce and add more hot pasta water as needed to keep it ” saucy.”
- Taste once more for salt, adjust, adding more along with pepper, chili flakes. If you want more richness add another splash of olive oil (or pat of butter- my husband loves this) or more pecorino if you like.
- Divide among pasta bowls and top with any of the garnishes you like!
Notes
Pecorino. Pre-shredded pecorino or parmesan often have “caking agents” in them- that prevent cheese from fully incorporating into a sauce- resulting in unpleasant clumping. The cheese should just melt into the sauce. Always check the label.- some stores offer grated pecorino that they grate on-site without these caking agents. Also, pecorino is much saltier than parmesan, so if using parmesan, you may need more salt.
We adjusted the recipe to make this more vibrant in color. Adding the spinach is not traditional but does add a beautiful vibrance to the sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: with the addition of ¾ cup parmesan
- Calories: 351
- Sugar: 3.2 g
- Sodium: 518.3 mg
- Fat: 12.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.2 g
- Fiber: 7.5 g
- Protein: 15.6 g
- Cholesterol: 9.7 mg
Super tasty recipe. Easy to make and really super-yummy! (no doubt the overcooking of the broccoli must destroy most of its nutrients, but that’s expected based on the cooking time of the veg).
Ya probably, unfortunately. 🙂
I’m a big broccoli lover but was disappointed by this. It was like eating a broccoli soup with pasta. My kids and husband weren’t impressed either
Sorry it’s not your cup of tea.
I noticed this recipe lists 20g protein per serving but I don’t see the source of the protein listed in the ingredients. A serving of pasta is about 4g protein I believe.
Interesting! Well out of curiosity- I double-checked the nutrition calculator- and between the whole wheat pasta, the broccoli and the parmesan, it comes to 80 grams total. Divided by 4 = 20. This pasta calculated at 31 grams protein for 4 servings.
Excellent recipe! Made last night and even the “no brocolli eater” enjoyed it! Will definitely make again.
It’s not vegetarian when you use anchovies or chicken broth
Right. Those are both optional. 🙂
Delicious – this HAS become a family staple – awesome comfort food!
Delicious… this has become a family staple – comfort food!
Really enjoyed this quick tasty receipy. The children loved it so Ill be making it again. Perfect for my family.
Made it tonight. I made some adjustments – steamed the broccoli and put it in a blender with the stock, made the creamy sauce without the simmering bit. We like the broccoli better this way, tastes better, the colour is fresher and it is more nutritious. Plus easier to make. Anyway, put 4 different toppings in small bowls so everyone did their own finishing touches, and even our picky kids approved! Yay! Will definitely make it again. Thank you for this recipe! It was yummy.
Thank you for this recipe! It was so tasty and love how the broccoli is used! How did you keep your broccoli so vibrant green?
It is probably partly the photo editing. 🙂
Ohh I see! 🙂
Amazing. Kids who have been picky lately loved it. Leftovers tasted even better. Will be a staple. Garnish used: lemon and parmesan.
Perfect Susan!
Very delicious! I added fresh parsley and lemon juice on top, which lightened the flavors. Followed the recipe exact and in addition to the parm cheese. Would recommend to others and definitely make again!
How many cups or grams is 12 oz of broccoli? Thank you so much for letting me know!
6 cups, chopped up small and packed tight.
How many cups or grams is 12 oz of Broccoli? Thank you so much for letting me know!
About 6 cups, chopped and packed.
The stock fwhere ii cooked the broccoli took longer than 15 min to reduce. Also the combination of anchoviy paste and broccoli tasted funny. . My kids tasted it and did not like it. Luckily i have some cooked pasta that was not mixed with saude. I quixkly added some butter and cheese and that tasted better than our dinner. Sorry i wont make it again.
Sorry it was not your cup of tea.
It’s just stunning.
Tasty, comforting, filling.
Just what you want.
Thank so much Mark. Appreciate this.
Our absolute favourite- a fail safe and a favourite in our household.
Super tasty. Its incredible how the sauce cooks down and becomes a pesto. It was a nice way to bring more greens to a pasta dish. Thanks!
I’m excited to try this but would love to be able to add a type of vegetarian protein. Is there a particular bean or other such protein that you would recommend?
You could always use a chickpea pasta. Or white beans???
absolutely delicious !!!! 10/10..
1 question .. did i miss something?/
what do i do with the remaining 2 cups of broth
It goes in with the broccoli.
I think the issue is that if you use the scaling and double the recipe, you have 4 cups of broth. But in the instructions it specifically says “add 2 cups of broth”. So you’re left with 2 cups of broth and no instructions for it.
Thanks Ruth, I will fix it. 🙂
Hi Silvia,
This recipe is just what I have been looking for. Just two quick questions-would you recommend using white or brown miso paste? Secondly, could I use frozen broccoli florets for this and if yes how would you suggest going about that?
Thank you so much for your recipes I can’t wait to make some this week 🙂
Either miso will work. Drop the frozen broccoli in the pasta water, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon adding to sauce pan.
Would this still work without miso? What would be the difference? Thanks!
It will! It adds good depth, while keeping it vegetarian
Was really good, would definitely recommend if you’ve got a lot of broccoli lying around that you don’t know what to do with. Also it’s really good with freshly squeezed lemon on top.
This dish is appealing to the eyes, quick and easy to prepare, cost effective, nutritious and versatile! It can stand alone as a warm weather family supper or a side on a holiday buffet table. More importantly, it is delicious! My adult daughter is the mother of a newborn following C-section so she needs healthy easy-to-eat meals and she loved the dish. My husband gobbled his meal down with exclamations. My son’s girlfriend is a vegetarian and I plan to serve it to her soon. Thanks so much!
Thanks so much!Glad you liked it!
Love, love, love! This was an unexpected favorite.
Yay! So glad you liked it!
This recipe is absolutely fantastic. I’ve made this for a quick dinner and am planning on making it again. I served it up with some sliced Italian sausage and it’s just…heaven. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
THanks so much- glad you liked it Grey!
Made this tonight and loved it! So easy and quick-I think I will try a little more anchovy paste next time.
Thanks so much and so happy you liked it! 👏