Broccoli pasta is a creamy pasta dish featuring broccoli florets blended into a rich sauce with parmesan cheese. This Italian-inspired dish is easy to prepare in under 30 minutes.
For more easy pasta recipes, try our spaghetti pomodoro, lentil pasta, and roasted pepper pasta.
This creamy broccoli pasta is our modern, plant-forward take on orecchiette with broccoli rabe, a beloved dish from Puglia.
It shares a spot at the top of our readers’ all-time favorites, right alongside spaghetti aglio e olio, asparagus pasta, and pasta alla Norma.
When we posted the broccoli pasta video on TikTok first, it went viral (4.5 million views, to be exact) with thousands of home cooks loving how simple it was.
It’s an excellent vegetarian dinner recipe with a cheesy, creamy, Italian sauce, it’s our go-to-last-minute-dinner 😛.
Whether you use fresh or frozen broccoli, homemade or store-bought pasta like cavatelli or spaghetti, this recipe will work.
Louise and I tested it with homemade orrecchiette, penne pasta, spaghetti, conchiglie, and bowtie pasta – they all work.
Ingredients
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Pasta: We recommend a short and hollow Italian pasta type. Conchiglie, orecchiette, rigatoni, penne, rotini, or fusilli are perfect here because they grab onto the creamy broccoli sauce.
- Broccoli: You can use fresh or frozen broccoli florets.
- Olive oil: We recommend extra virgin olive oil. Substitute regular olive oil.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic enhances the flavor of the broccoli. Our tip is to grate it finely, slice it thinly, or press it with a garlic press.
- Red pepper flakes: Substitute cayenne pepper, chili powder, or thinly sliced red chilis.
- Salt and pepper: You’ll need sea salt or kosher salt to season the pasta cooking water and the sauce. Black pepper is optional.
- Parmesan cheese is a match made in heaven with broccoli sauce. You can add grated parmesan to the sauce and shaved parmesan for garnishing. If you are vegan, you can make pasta with broccoli without cheese or use a non-dairy cheese alternative.
- Basil: We recommend adding fresh basil leaves to garnish the dish.
How to make broccoli pasta
Cut the broccoli into small florets.
Boil them in a large pot of salted water for 5 minutes or until fork tender.
Tip: we recommend cooking the broccoli in 1 gallon (3.5 liters) of water seasoned with 1 tablespoon of sea salt.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
Add thinly sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute.
Take the broccoli out of the water with a slotted spoon (do not discard the water) and add them to the skillet.
Add one cup of the cooking water and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes or until very tender.
Mash the broccoli with a fork or quickly blend with an immersion blender to make a creamy sauce.
Cook the pasta as per package instructions minus 2 minutes.
Use the same water you used when cooking the broccoli. Reserve a cup of pasta water, drain the pasta, and add it to the sauce.
Add grated parmesan and finish cooking the pasta for about a minute while stirring it in the sauce.
Add some reserved pasta water if necessary. Serve with basil leaves and shaved parmesan on top.
Storage
Refrigerator: Let the pasta cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to one day.
Reheat: Warm it in the microwave, adding two tablespoons of water as the pasta dries in the fridge. You can also warm it in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil. It is not suitable for freezing.
Tips
🥦 Boil Broccoli in Pasta Water: To save time and boost flavor, cook the broccoli in the same pot you’ll use for pasta. Boil it first, scoop it out with a slotted spoon, and then reuse the water for the pasta. This not only saves cleanup but also infuses the pasta with extra broccoli flavor.
🍝 Mash for the best sauce: For a rustic feel, mash the cooked broccoli with a fork right in the pan. If you prefer a silky smooth sauce, blend it with an immersion blender.
🧀 Don’t Skip the Parmesan: Even just a tablespoon or two of grated parmesan melts beautifully into the broccoli, creating that creamy, cheesy finish. For a vegan version, use your favorite vegan parmesan—it still adds that umami punch we all crave.
More easy pasta recipes
- Lentil bolognese
- mushroom ragu
- fregola pasta
- creamy tomato pasta
- casarecce pasta
- paccheri pasta
- kale pasta
If you tried this Broccoli pasta recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli fresh or frozen + 1 gallon (3½ liters) water and 1 tablespoon of salt to boil them.
- 12 ounces short pasta conchiglie, orecchiette, rotini, or another type.
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic pressed, grated, or thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or thinly sliced red chili. Add more or less to taste.
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese + shaved parmesan for garnishing.
- 1 handful basil leaves
Instructions
- BOIL BROCCOLI: Cut 1 pound broccoli into small florets and boil them for 5 minutes or until fork tender.Tip: We recommend cooking the broccoli in 1 gallon (3½ liters) of water seasoned with 1 tablespoon of sea salt.
- MAKE THE SAUCE: Heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet. Add 2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced) and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute.Remove the broccoli from the water and add them to the skillet (do not discard the water; we use it to cook the pasta).Add one cup of the cooking water and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes or until very tender.Mash the broccoli with a fork or blend with an immersion blender.
- COOK THE PASTA: While the broccoli simmers, cook 12 ounces short pasta as per package instructions minus 2 minutes.Use the same water you used for cooking the broccoli.ADD THE PASTA: Drain the pasta (reserve one cup of cooking water) and add it to the sauce.Add ½ cup grated parmesan cheese and finish cooking for about a minute.Add some reserved pasta water if necessary to make the dish creamy.
- Taste and adjust for salt.Serve with 1 handful basil leaves and shaved parmesan on top.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We’re here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) 🌿✨.
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It seemed odd to add a partial box of pasta, so I used the whole box. It turned out fine. I was a little skeptical when I was done with the immersion blender, but once I added tap water (because I forgot to reserve pasta water) and salt, it turned out really good.