One Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta
A creamy pasta dish covered with a rich parmesan sauce and lots of broccoli. A quick and easy dinner idea to boost your family’s mood and energy.
This one pot broccoli pasta is creamy, healthy and mouth-watering. This is what you get; savory pasta shells and broccoli covered with a rich cream sauce, cooked in a buttery garlic and chicken broth. Your family will love eating broccoli this way.
There’s little that could go wrong with this dish. Make sure to keep this easy recipe on hand for a quick and reliable dinner idea.
Why you’ll love this creamy broccoli pasta recipe?
Quick and simple- A Broccoli pasta recipe should always be quick and easy to make. Any new or novice homecook can nail this dish without having to worry about complicated ingredients or lengthy instructions.
Vegetarian option- If you’re trying to cut down your meat intake then this delicious recipe is a great meal idea for you.
Healthy- Broccoli is packed with vitamins and minerals. It’s a great source of potassium, calcium and iron. This green vegetable is great for your skin, bones and eyes. Besides, this nutrient-dense vegetable contains almost no fat.
Versatile- You can easily modify this recipe by adding different vegetable or even a protein of your liking.
Ingredients :
2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 cups chicken broth
1 ¼ cups half and half
½ lb. medium pasta shells
¼ teaspoon (each): dried thyme, salt
3 ½ cups broccoli florets (uncooked)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions to make a good creamy broccoli pasta:
Once your ingredients are measured and your Broccoli is cut into small pieces for easier cooking, you can take your skillet and get started.
Over medium heat, melt butter in a large skillet then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken broth, half and half, and add the seasonings.
Allow your liquid to heat up then add the pasta. Immerse the pasta into the liquid and bring it to a boil. Cook partly covered according to package instructions.
Add your broccoli during the last 5 minutes until it softens up a bit- Don’t forget to occasionally stir the pasta to prevent it from sticking.
Remove the cover taste a piece of the cooked pasta, it should be firm yet tender. Cover again and cook longer if needed.
Once the pasta has cooked, remove from heat, add the lemon juice then use a silicone spatula to gently mix in the Parmesan cheese.
Sauce will thicken upon standing. (optional: garnish with parsley)
How can I serve the Creamy Broccoli Pasta?
The best dishes to pair with this creamy broccoli pasta recipe are a classic Caesar salad, Cheesy garlic breadsticks or Balsamic Bruschetta but to keep it Italian inspired, you can serve this creamy broccoli pasta dish in small portions. Any pasta dish is considered a star dish, you can always skip the sides and it won’t disappoint.
How to choose the ingredients of the Broccoli pasta recipe:
IPasta shells: For this recipe, I used mini shells (Conchiglie) from Colavita brand but you can certainly use other similarly sized pasta shells from your favorite usual brand. Make sure to check the package for approximate cooking time.
Broccoli: This nutrient-dense veggie is best used fresh, but frozen will work just fine if that’s what you’ve got.
Butter: It’s always preferable to use unsalted butter in cooking to control the amount of salt in your recipe.
Garlic: I prefer to mince my own fresh garlic cloves, but store-bought jarred garlic will work just fine.
Cheese- For a cheesy sauce I used Parmesan cheese for this dish.
Lemon juice: For a fresh flavor and a creamier sauce, I use a little lemon juice at the end.
Chicken broth: To add more flavor to this dish, I prefer to use chicken broth instead of water.
Half and half: I use half and half for a thick and creamy sauce.
Seasoning: Salt, dried oregano, dried parsley, onion powder and dried thyme.
Helpful Tips:
To customize your broccoli pasta dish: You can modify this broccoli pasta dish by adding other vegetables that pair well with broccoli. You can even add a protein of your liking. Grilled chicken goes well with this recipe.
Instead of Half and half: you can use whole milk with some light or heavy cream- For less calories you can use low fat milk with some heavy cream.
Parmesan substitute: Asiago and Romano cheese taste great as well.
Storage :You can place your broccoli pasta leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3-4 days. To keep it longer, you can freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, sprinkle it with a bit of water or milk then slow cook over medium-low heat or put it in the microwave for a few minutes.
One Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cups chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups half and half
- ½ lb. medium pasta shells
- ¼ teaspoon each: dried thyme, salt
- 3 ½ cups broccoli florets uncooked
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Once your ingredients are measured and your Broccoli is cut into small pieces for easier cooking, you can take your skillet and get started.
- Over medium heat, melt butter in a large skillet then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the chicken broth, half and half, and add the seasonings.
- Allow your liquid to heat up then add the pasta. Immerse the pasta into the liquid and bring it to a boil. Cook partly covered according to package instructions. Add your broccoli during the last 5 minutes until it softens up a bit- Don’t forget to occasionally stir the pasta to prevent it from sticking.
- Remove the cover taste a piece of the cooked pasta, it should be firm yet tender. Cover again and cook longer if needed.
- Once the pasta has cooked, remove from heat, add the lemon juice then use a silicone spatula to gently mix in the Parmesan cheese.
- Sauce will thicken upon standing. (optional: garnish with parsley)
