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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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
xoxo
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Orecchiette Broccoli Recipe
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- 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
It was excellent! My husband wants it part of our weekly rotation…or at least bi-weekly. I had to make some changes bc of what I didn’t have on hand: red onion instead of shallots, just breaking down broccoli in pan, instead of blending, added shrimp just because, added nutritional yeast for diary free version for my husband, chopped up anchovy fillets instead of paste, added toasted pinenuts and walnuts, made a portion w gluten free chick pea pasta. Adding a diff kind of protein might give this dish longevity if u eat meat/fish, but not necessary bc it’s so tasty. I’m so glad I googled « recipes w anchovies »in it!!! Merci, Thank You, Grazie Tonia!!!
So glad you tried it and made it work! Thanks for sharing your process- super helpful!
Thanks for giving it a go Heidi!
many years after first making this dish, it continues to be a firm favourite amongst the family and hits the weekly meal plan at least once a month.
Appreciate hearing this Melissa!
This was my gateway recipe!!!! I made it in 2018 and have been making it consistently since. My family LOVES it. It’s so simple and delicious. I use frozen broccoli to be fast and cheap. You and your recipes are just wonderful. Thank you for sharing with us!!! ❤️
So great to hear this EllieMay! Really appreciate the reviews.:)
Yummy and healthy!
Wonderful to hear Cindy!
Hi Larisa- sorry to hear this. There is a little tip in the recipe to add a handful of baby spinach to the blender to make the sauce more vibrant green.
This recipe is absolutely delicious! It’s my new favourite pasta dish to make and I couldn’t recommend it enough!
My favourite way to make it is with anchovies and to blend half of the broccoli sauce to make it creamy. The toasted pine nuts really escalate it too.
Thanks so much!
So glad you enjoyed this Sophie!
Just put the broccoli in a streamer basket. It will get soft and ready to go. Keep it simple! Remember this recipe from my mom making it back in the 60’s. I don’t use lemon zest but white wine when making. Thanks, Sylvia for a great recipe!
Appreciate this Ernestine!
I just made this for the third time, and it is so very delicious. We also adore the orecchiette with creamy carrot miso sauce! Both are so unique and absolutely wonderful as well as fun to make. By the way, Sylvia, did you post your recommendation for a knife sharpener? I may have missed it!
Great to hear Carole! Yes, I added a link to our Splurge-Worthy Kitchen Tools post at the bottom. My husband loves that sharpener!
Totally agree with Jess. It took forever for the broccoli to break down. In fact it never really turned into a sauce.
Hi Kevin, sorry about that. Did you see the note to use an immersion blender if needed? It takes some time to get the sauce to melt together, but if in a hurry, the immersion blender is a quick time saver.
I enjoyed making this! I couldn’t get my anchovy paste open (?) so appreciated having the miso option for umami flavor. I thought this Tuscan gem was a really fun recipe to know about- a creative and fresh addition. I went for extra broccoli sauce as suggested and added pine nuts on top, which were DELICIOUS. I also had the Barilla high protein + pasta in rotini format- my husband is Italian and approves of this pasta. Great for vegetarian meals 🙂
Thanks so much Shannon!
This was really delicious! Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes, keep ‘em coming!
Awww… thanks Roxane!
So good and so easy. I steamed broccoli til very very soft. And it was a cinch to make sauce. We luv it ty again. Lots of crushed peppers 😋
That is the secret. 🙂 Thanks Stella!
Hey Jess, yes it takes a while for the broccoli to cook down- but a workaround is using an immersion blender (right in the pan) works great too. If it is gritty, it may be the cheese you are using has a binder in it and is not fully incorporated. Most grated cheeses that you buy have these binders- check the label- I usually grate my own block in a food processor.
What a great recipe! Made it so many times and my family loves it. Can be varied with different garnishes, I always cook with anchovies, adding parmesan with either breadcrumbs fried in butter or toasted pine nuts. Tastes quite unusual, not your typical broccoli taste, but very comforting and savoury. Thank you for sharing it!
So happy you enjoyed this Ella!
Thanks Sylvia, this was delicious and I really appreciated your comprehensive notes/tips/adaptations. Made it with miso paste and mezzi rigatoni. Will now be saving your page to make some of your other recipes! Best wishes from London, UK!
Thanks so much Sarah! Happy you found us!
How can ‘authentic broccoli pasta from Italy’ contain miso paste!?!?
Rubbish.
Hi James, the miso is a substitution for the anchovy paste. Anchovies are traditional, but we try to give alternatives for people are plant-based.
Absolutely delicious!
great to hear!
Hi Sylvia–I love your recipes and your entire site, including the spirit-filled poetry and quotes that introduce your creations. I have been learning to cook in the past year, and your recipes have been such a source of inspiration, wisdom, and skill-development for me. Thank you! More specifically, I made this broccoli recipe last night, and we raved about it. So, so good. The lemon zest garnish really enhanced all the flavors. Amazing! You make me feel like a “real” chef!
Thanks Carole! I’m so happy you are enjoying the blog! Glad you liked this one!
Hi Liz- sorry about that. Just curious, did you make any changes, and just curious if you used pecorino?
This was yummy. It’s a great way to get in veggies, especially broccoli which I don’t eat too often.
So happy you liked it!
Delicious. I highly recommend.
Thanks so much Henry! Glad you enjoyed this one!
Made the 1/2 recipe almost exact but we didn’t have enough broccoli so added parsley and no shallot so some finely diced onion. It was really good – I felt it was as good as any we had in Puglia. The chili flakes make it and gotta love those little ear pasta 🙂
Glad you enjoyed this!