Enjoy amazing Italian comfort food right at home with this easy recipe.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Versatile - it can be a side dish, a light lunch, or add chicken to make a hearty, one pot dinner.
- It's made all in one pot so there's no mess
- Even die hard broccoli haters like it
This is an easy, one pan side dish that's like an exotic macaroni and cheese.
This pasta con broccoli recipe was made famous by Pasta House pasta restaurant - it's one of my favorite broccoli recipes ever.
Super easy to make and absolutely delish!
🧾 Ingredients
It's important to use fresh broccoli and fresh mushrooms in this recipe.
Love broccoli? Try this creamy broccoli casserole with Ritz crackers.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1
- Cook pasta just 4 minutes and drain.
- Add in the remaining ingredients except cheese and mushrooms.
- Simmer until the pasta is tender then add the mushrooms.
- Stir in the cheese and serve.
🥫 Storage
Leftovers can be put in an airtight container and refrigerated for 4 or 5 days.
I don't recommend freezing this recipe.
To heat:
Add to a pan with a little cream and heat slowly, stirring often.
📖 Variations
- Sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes over the top just before serving.
- Shells, spirals, elbows, or any other pasta shapes can be substituted for the orecchiette. The actual Pasta House pasta con broccoli recipe uses shell pasta.
- Make this an easy dinner recipe by adding some cooked ground beef or ham. You can do the samething with Noodles Romanoff.
- I like marinara mixed in with the cream but you can use plain tomato sauce.
- Substitute asparagus or broccolini for the broccoli.
- Add some crispy bacon just before serving.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: If you prefer a lighter, less heavy sauce you can use half and half in stead of heavy cream in the same measure. Do understand that it will be MUCH less creamy.
- Be sure to cut the broccoli in small florets so it will cook properly.
- The pasta should be barely cooked when you add it to the creamy sauce. That way it soaks up the flavor while it simmers.
- This is basically an Alfredo sauce with a hint of tomato. In a pinch you can simmer the ingredients in a canned Alfredo sauce mixed with the marinara instead of the cream. This isn't quite as delicious but it's always good to know that you can do it.
- Always use fresh broccoli. Frozen makes the sauce watery.
👩🍳 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
Pasta con broccoli, or pasta e broccoli, is Italian for pasta with broccoli - tender, shaped pasta in a creamy pink Alfredo sauce.
The sauce doesn't freeze well at all - so no.
Raw or cooked broccoli - 3 to 5 days in the fridge. Cooked broccoli with keep 3 months or more in the freezer.
📚 Related recipes
📞 The last word
Here's my experience with this recipe...
- When I made this one-pot pasta recipe the first time it got a little dry before it was all done. You may need to add a little more cream or a little milk toward the end of the cooking time if that happens. Be sure that it doesn't go dry and start sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Make sure to only cook the pasta about half way before draining it and adding the other ingredients. Differently shaped pastas will have different timings - so check it often.
- If you can't get the sauce to thicken warm about 2 ounces of cream cheese in the microwave and stir it in until smooth. It's my trick to thicken up obstinate sauces and favorite way to rescue a watery cream sauce.
- Don't use frozen broccoli - it will make the sauce watery and there's no way to really thicken it up.
- Alfredo sauce separates if you heat it too fast. If you have leftovers, put them in a pan, with a little milk and warm it slowly, stirring often.
Don't you love when you can eat the same food as if you visited a famous Italian restaurant without ever leaving home? Just add these garlic breadsticks!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Pasta Con Broccoli (Pasta with Broccoli)
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 12 ounces orecchiette pasta, or your favorite
- 2 cups broccoli, florets, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 ½ cups heavy or whipping cream
- ⅓ cup butter
- ⅓ cup marinara sauce, or tomato sauce. Use more or less to taste.
- ½ cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 cup Parmesan, grated
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Instructions
- Cook pasta about 4 minutes (It won't be all the way cooked). Drain.
- Add the pasta back to the pot.
- Add in the cream, butter, tomato sauce, broccoli, and garlic.
- Stir well and bring to a boil.
- When the pasta and broccoli are fully cooked, and sauce has begun to thicken, stir in the mushrooms.
- Let simmer for a couple of minutes so the mushrooms begin to get tender.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and stir.
- Pass more Parmesan at the table.
Notes
- If you prefer a lighter, less heavy sauce you can use half and half in stead of heavy cream in the same measure. Be aware that the sauce will be very thin if you do that.
- Shells, spirals, elbows, or any other pasta shapes can be substituted for the orecchiette.
- I like marinara mixed in with the cream but you can use plain tomato sauce.
- Be sure to cut the broccoli in small florets so it will cook properly.
- This is basically an Alfredo sauce. In a pinch you can simmer the ingredients in a canned Alfredo sauce mixed with the marinara instead of the cream. This isn't as delicious but it's always good to know that you can do it.
- Substitute asparagus for the broccoli.
- Add some crispy bacon just before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published April 7, 2021. Last updated January 21, 2023 for editorial corrections and more tips.
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