Pasta Cooked with Broccoli in 15 Minutes!
Pasta Cooked with Broccoli is made in 15 minutes and one pot! Baby broccoli florets are easily sautéed with extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and then cooked with spaghetti at the same time. With a few ingredients and one pot, you’ll have an easy dinner ready to serve in 15 minutes!
Pasta Cooked with Broccoli…
This is a dish that is similar in style to cooking risotto; only it is cooked with spaghetti. The best part? All the cooking is done in ONE pot. Perfect for easy clean-up. The pasta is cooked with broccoli in 15 minutes! It is a quick and easy way to put dinner on the table.
The broccoli practically melts while cooking and creates a pesto-like sauce that works well with small pasta or with broken spaghetti as I have here. Best of all, the kids will love this dish too!
Our family loves pasta dishes. I’ve been making this pasta dish for years and I love this one because it gets dinner on the table quickly. Saving time and money.
We usually make this dish using “fresh” steamed broccoli, but this time we decided to use frozen broccoli florets. It’s an outstanding pasta dish! So flavorful and delicious even my picky eater Maria loves this one!
Great Tips for Success!
- You can make this dish using leftover steamed broccoli from the night before.
- So it is a good idea, if you make a side dish of steamed broccoli, make extra! Then turn the (leftover) extra broccoli into this pasta dish with broccoli for dinner the next day.
- Be careful to not add in too much water when cooking the spaghetti, or you will get mushy pasta, and more like a soupy dish.
- This recipe makes enough for a family of 4, but you can double the recipe for more servings.
- Leftovers reheat beautifully the next day!
How to Make Pasta Cooked with Broccoli?
*You can follow along below, or jump down to the bottom for our full recipe card!
Ingredients Needed for Pasta Cooked with Broccoli in 15 Minutes:
For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
-
1 pound of Thin Spaghetti or (3/4 pound of regular Spaghetti) – broken into pieces
-
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-
6 to 7 garlic cloves – sliced in halves
-
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
-
3/4 tsp. salt
-
1 pound of “frozen” Baby Broccoli Florets
-
4 to 5 cups of water
-
Parmigiano-Reggiano grated cheese, for serving
Easy-To-Follow Directions To Make It:
1. In a large pasta pot, heat olive oil with garlic cloves and crushed red pepper flakes, until the garlic turns golden brown.
2. In the meantime, open the package of broccoli pour it into a colander, and rinse under cool water for about 1 minute. Allow draining well.
3. When the garlic is golden brown, add the broccoli and stir for about 2 to 4 minutes.
4. Add salt and 4 cups of water. Hold the remaining cup of water aside, you may need extra water to finish cooking the pasta towards the end.
*HELPFUL TIP! Start by pouring the water ONLY until it is leveled with the broccoli. Then, if you need additional water, you can always add more.
5. Bring the mixture to a boil. Meanwhile, open the box of spaghetti and break the strands into pieces, holding a few strands at a time, break them into thirds, and place them into a pasta bowl. Toss in the spaghetti to the broccoli mixture and stir occasionally.
6. Cook the spaghetti for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally and until all the water is absorbed. When the water is almost absorbed, taste the pasta. It should be al-dente or to your liking.
Quick NOTE: If you need to cook the pasta for an additional minute or so, and the water has been absorbed, you will need to add a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup) until the pasta is fully cooked, and to your liking.
7. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. When spaghetti is done, transfer it into individual pasta bowls and serve immediately. Add some grated Parmigiano cheese on top and enjoy! Serves 4 to 6 servings
Serve and Enjoy…
Your family will love this pasta dish and will ask for seconds.
More Tasty Pasta Recipes!
- Quick & Easy Soup with Broccoli
- Pasta with Baby Peas
- Cacio e Pepe
- One-Pot Pasta Recipe
- Pasta with Creamy Cauliflower
Additional Recipes for Broccoli…
Are you cooking with us? Any questions? Ask away! And, if you make this dish, let us know and leave a comment below – and don’t forget the stars! This recipe was first posted back in 2012. All content is the same, only the photos have been updated.
Pasta Cooked with Broccoli in 15 Minutes!
Yield:
4 to 6 servings
Prep Time:
3 minutes
Cook Time:
12 minutes
Total Time:
15 minutes
Pasta Cooked with Broccoli is made in 15 Minutes and in One-Pot! Baby broccoli florets are easily sautéed with extra-virgin olive oil and garlic, then cooked with spaghetti at the same time. With a few ingredients and one pot, you'll have an easy dinner ready to serve in 15 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 pound (16 ounces) of Thin Spaghetti - broken into pieces
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 to 7 garlic cloves - sliced in halves
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 tsp. salt, and extra if needed
- 1 package (16-ounces) of frozen Baby Broccoli Florets
- 4 to 5 cups water
- Parmigiano-Reggiano grated cheese, for serving
Instructions
- In a large pasta pot, heat olive oil and add garlic cloves and crushed red pepper flakes, and saute garlic until garlic turns golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- In the meantime, open the packages of broccoli and pour them into a colander and rinse under cool water for a few seconds. Allow draining well.
- When the garlic is golden brown, add the broccoli and stir for about 2 to 4 minutes.
- Add salt and 4 cups of water. The water should be just above the broccoli mixture.
- Bring to a boil. Add the spaghetti to the broccoli mixture and stir occasionally. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
- When the water is fully absorbed, taste the pasta, it should be al-dente or to your liking. NOTE: If you need to add additional water, add very small increments, about 1/4 cup each time until the pasta is cooked to your preference. Be careful not to add too much water, or you could end up with soup.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- When spaghetti is done, transfer it into individual pasta bowls and serve immediately.
- Add some Parmigiano cheese on top and enjoy!
Notes
Serves 6 servings
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 servings Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 222Total Fat: 9.4gCarbohydrates: 29.4gFiber: 3.4gSugar: 1.8gProtein: 6.7g
Happy Cooking! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
ox anna and liz
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Weeknight Dinners Made Easy
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I did this pasta dish in between soccer and piano practice for my kids and they asked for a second bowl! Quick and easy dinner
So glad to hear, Annie! Welcome to our recipe blog, it’s so nice to meet you! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving us a comment. Have a great week! 🙂
Hey ladies, I have to admit that before making this I was a little skeptical on how it would taste, but I was pleasantly surprised! It was delicious!!
I do have a question, if I make a tray of this dish for a party and it won’t be eaten for a day or two after, how do I reheat it? Do I put it in the oven?
Hi Wendy! I have always reheated our pasta dishes in the microwave. But if I have to guess, then my guess would be a Yes. You could reheat this dish in a preheated oven at 350F for about 10 minutes. You can add a little drizzle of water to it to keep the pasta moist and to keep it from drying out while reheating in the oven. I hope this helps! 🙂
LOVE easy pasta ideas! For some reason, I have never made anything like this…yet!!
This is just what I'm craving tonight! Love how easy it is!
Love dishes like this! Can't wait to try!
Beautiful colors and I can only imagine how satisfyingly deliciouys this is. Great post ladies!!
We love broccoli and macroni at our house. I never cooked it this way before but will surely try it.
Thanks.
We love pasta with broccoli in our house—we add some ricotta and lemon to it as well. Yours has such an interesting cooking method, I'll have to try it!
quick pasta like this is my lifesaver and thankfully mu husband doesn;t mind it at all. Love the broccoli addition. I like to do asparagus and edamame!
Sounds too good to be that easy! looks great! Have a nice weekend.