Quick and easy Italian pasta with broccoli.

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Quick and easy Italian pasta with broccoli.

A delicious classic Italian winter pasta recipe that's a tasty way to get the kids to eat their greens! Perfect as a pasta salad, baked pasta or a quick family meal.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: lunch, Main Course, pasta salad

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean, Northern Italy

Keyword: broccoli pasta, pancetta pasta, pasta with broccoli

Servings:

Calories: 774kcal

Author: Jacqui

Ingredients

14 ounces penne pasta (or pasta of your choice)
1 medium broccoli washed and cut into quarters
2-3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
7 ounces pancetta cubes (or lardons)
3 ounces Parmigiano or Grana cheese grated
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt for cooking and to taste
black pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Begin by washing and cutting the broccoli into 4 pieces and cooking it in salted boiling water for about 10 minutes (until al dente). Peel and chop the garlic and cube the pancetta if necessary.
Cook the pancetta cubes in a small frying pan with just a little oil (it has its own fat) until the pieces are browned and crispy! Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside on some kitchen paper to drain the fat. Remove some of the rendered fat from the pan.
When it’s ready, remove the broccoli from the cooking water, but keep the water (you can use a slotted spoon). Bring it to the boil again. If necessary add some more water.
Cook the pasta al dente in the boiling water according to the instructions on the packet. When ready, drain after saving some of the cooking water.
Cut the cooked broccoli into small florets. Heat the olive oil in the frying pan you used for the pancetta. Add the garlic and broccoli florets and sauté for 5-10 minutes.
Add 1-2 ladles of the pasta cooking water to the broccoli and simmer until it's soft enough to partly mash with a fork. If necessary add more pasta cooking water. Add salt and pepper to taste
When the broccoli is ready add the pancetta and mix well. Then add the cooked pasta and ⅔ of the grated cheese. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the cheese starts melting.
Serve immediately with more grated cheese, or cool and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

I used penne rigate for this dish but other short pastas work well too. You can use rigatoni, fusilli, tortiglioni and even long pasta such as spaghetti or bucatini.

For a vegetarian version omit the pancetta and sprinkle with crushed walnuts.

For a gluten free version, use gluten free pasta.

For a dairy free version, omit the cheese or use a vegan cheese.

If you have leftovers you can bake them in the oven with more grated cheese and some fresh mozzarella! You can also enjoy this broccoli pasta as a pasta salad.

Nutrition