Quick cheesy broccoli pasta recipe

Looking for a quick, simple, delicious dinner? Look no further than this yummy quick cheesy broccoli pasta recipe. I like cooking this midweek dinner when I need to make something tasty and quick. Having said that, it’s also a great meal to make for myself when the boys are with their Dad and I have an evening to myself. It’s so easy you don’t mind making it for one. All you need is one pan!

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I’m a relative newbie to the broccoli pasta world. I’m not sure why, I like broccoli and I like pasta. I just never thought to have them together. I recently went for dinner at The Coppa Club in Guildford. They had a gorgeous, fresh, pasta dish with asparagus and a lemon butter. It was delish, and it inspired me to try making pasta at home that wasn’t laden with sauce.

This isn’t as light as the dish I had when I ate out, but has that lovely fresh taste, with lots of yummy cheese. You can use as much or little cheese as you like, but I like cheese, a LOT! I use parmesan but most types of cheese would work. I like to cut the broccoli quite small for this broccoli pasta recipe so there aren’t large chunks and it adds to the sauce.

Cheesy broccoli pasta recipe

Serves 4

Equipment needed:

• 1 large saucepan
• Jar

Ingredients

• 350g pasta shells (I use Conchiglie)
• 2 heads of broccoli – the bigger the better
• 100g parmesan or any grated cheese
• 4 handfuls of frozen peas
• Pine nuts to garnish – they add texture to the dish

For the cheesy sauce

• 2 tsp lemon zest
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 40g parmesan
• 1 tsp mixed herbs – I use dried
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Pinch of dried pepper flakes
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup of pasta water

Method

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
2. Add the pasta and stir to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook as per packet instructions
3. While the pasta is cooking, cut the broccoli into small florets ready to add to the pan a few minutes before the pasta is cooked
4. Start making your sauce. Add all the ingredients except the pasta water to a jar or pot with a lid.
5. 4-5 minutes before the pasta is cooked add the broccoli and frozen peas to the pan.
6. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta. Add this pasta water to the sauce jar and give it all a good shake.
7. Put your drained pasta back into the pan, without the heat on. Add the cheese and sauce and give it a good mix!
8. When serving add some pine nuts for flavour and texture. I also like to add a little more parmesan at this point 😉
9. Serve with some garlic bread for extra texture and to mop up the sauce