This one-pot broccoli pasta comes together in 20 minutes for a cozy, comforting pasta that works as a meatless main dish or a side dish! You’ll love the authentic cream sauce made simply with butter, pecorino, and black pepper.
You’re going to want to make this broccoli pasta recipe for dinner tonight because it’s loaded with broccoli and a creamy sauce that my kids love (they actually think it’s pesto 🤫).
The pasta and broccoli are cooked together, making the broccoli so tender that it falls apart nearly completely, making it look like pesto.
Along with a few other simple ingredients like freshly grated Pecorino Romano, black pepper, and butter, this simple dish is hearty yet light and can round out any meal in the easiest, most flavorful way. It’s also ready in 20 minutes, which you really can’t beat when it comes to weeknight cooking.
One Pot Broccoli and Pasta
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s a 20-minute recipe all done in a single pot!
- Made with a handful of simple ingredients.
- Can be used as a side dish or a main.
- Great for when you want pasta but nothing too heavy!
Helpful Tools
- Stockpot
- Colander
- Wooden or slotted spoon
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Pasta and broccoli florets: This works with any short pasta. Cook according to the package directions. Use your favorite. To speed things up, I use pre-cut broccoli florets from Costco.
- Pecorino Romano cheese: From the outside, this looks like Parmesan, but it’s sharper and saltier! As always, if you can freshly grate your own from a block, I highly recommend doing that.
- Salted butter, minced garlic, and pepper: Together with the reserved pasta water, they make a simple and flavorful cream sauce!
How to make Broccoli Pasta
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: Boil pasta and broccoli florets together in salted boiling water. Stir occasionally until the noodles are cooked to your liking and the broccoli is fall-apart tender.
- Step Two: Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain the rest from the pasta and broccoli. Using a colander makes this easy!
- Step Three: To the same pot, drizzle olive oil into the bottom of the pot and cook the minced garlic until fragrant. Add the pasta and broccoli back into the pot and stir in the cheese, butter, and black pepper.
- Step Four: Slowly pour in the reserved pasta water as you stir, turning it into a creamy sauce. Stir until the sauce is thickened and smooth. The broccoli should break down nearly completely.
- Step Five: Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with extra cheese on top!
How to serve it
For a no-fuss dinner, we enjoy this pasta with a basket of bread on the table and call it a day. We love one hour dinner rolls, homemade garlic knots, and little Caesar’s breadsticks, and you can’t go wrong with any of them!
As a side, broccoli pasta is great with any type of grilled chicken, baked garlic butter chicken, crispy baked BBQ chicken strips, or even my slow cooker whole chicken.
- Feel free to cut the broccoli florets even smaller to ensure they cook until super soft in the time it takes to cook the pasta.
- Cook the pasta and broccoli in enough water, but not too much. You want the reserved water to be nicely concentrated with enough starch. This will help make a creamy sauce!
- Add the water in slowly so that the cheese melts smoothly and doesn’t end up gritty.
- Pecorino, salted butter, and the salt we add to the boiling water adds incredible flavor, but is enough salt to not need to add any extra.
- Jarred garlic or garlic powder can be used in place of fresh garlic.
- To brighten up the dish, add a squirt of 1/2 a lemon before serving. You can also add red pepper flakes for heat.
Storage & Reheating
How to store leftovers
Keep any leftover pasta and broccoli in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing Instructions
I don’t recommend freezing it, as the sauce can separate and become a bit gritty, but if you need to, keep it in a freezer-safe container to keep frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheating Instructions
Broccoli pasta can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove. It’s a good idea to add a splash of broth, water, or cream to help loosen up the sauce.
Need more easy pasta recipes? Try these:
Click here to view my entire collection of pasta recipes.
One Pot Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- kosher salt
- 1 pound pasta
- 4-5 cups broccoli florets
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup grated pecorino romano cheese
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil.kosher salt
- Once boiling, add in the pasta and broccoli florets. Stir occasionally until the noodles are cooked to your favorite level of doneness and the broccoli starts to fall apart.1 pound pasta, 4-5 cups broccoli florets
- Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta and broccoli into a colander.
- Add the olive oil to the bottom of the pot and stir in the minced garlic until fragrant.3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 cloves garlic
- Return the drained pasta and broccoli to the pot. Add in the cheese, butter, and black pepper.½ cup grated pecorino romano cheese, 1 Tablespoon salted butter, freshly ground black pepper
- Slowly stream in the reserved pasta water as you stir until the sauce thickens and is creamy. The broccoli should break down nearly completely.
- Adjust salt & pepper to taste and serve topped with additional pecorino romano cheese.
Notes
- Any short pasta shape can be used (macaroni, rotini, etc.), just adjust cook time as needed.
- Jarred garlic or garlic powder can be used in place of fresh garlic.
- Should serve 4 as a main dish or up to 6 as a side dish.
- Optional: Add the juice of 1/2 a lemon for extra freshness or some red pepper flakes for some heat.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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