Pasta with broccoli is one of Adam’s favorites pastas, so I am trying to surprise him with this alternative. It’s a recipe that I tend to make usually on Friday, when he comes back from his kindergarten and when we are all together for lunch time. Friday it’s also the day in which I refurnish the fridge with fruits and veggies, and Broccoli take lots of space in my fridge so i try to use them straight away :-).

This pasta with broccoli is also one of my favorites pasta, because it’s incredibly versatile. The main ingredients are broccoli, but you can decide what to add on top of that. If you are in a search of a vegan pasta, you can easily adapt my recipe as follow: just sauté broccoli with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, dry tomatoes and Kalamata olives – or even just garlic. In this way your pasta with broccoli will become vegan and full of flavor.

In my case I am trying to make everyone happy, and while my kid really likes broccoli, my husband would add anchovies everywhere! So, to make everyone happy this time I added anchovies and capers with a generous amount of Parmesan, that, as you know, it’s a must ingredient for me.

Pasta with Broccoli Ingredients

Fresh Broccoli
Garlic
Anchovies in extra virgin olive oil
Capers in salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan
Salt & Black Pepper

Pasta with Broccoli

Recipe by GiadaCourse: FirstCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

This Pasta with Broccoli Recipe is Incredibly Versatile and so Rich in flavor. We Love it with Anchovies and Capers but You Can Make it Completely Vegan Adding Dry Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives.

Ingredients

1kg Fresh Broccoli
1 Clove of Garlic
5 Anchovies
1 Tablespoon of Capers
50g Parmesan
Extra virgin olive oil a few spoons
Salt and Fresh ground Black Pepper

Directions

Boil/Steam the Broccoli. Wash the broccoli under running water and collect the florets in a large pot. Peel the stalk of the broccoli (cut the hard part that covers the softer inside part of the vegetable) and cut this inside part in small cubes. Add it to the pot together with the florets. Cover with water and bring it to a boil. Cook it until soft.
Make the sauté. In a large pan, add a clove garlic and oil. Sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes and then add the anchovies. Mix until the anchovies will melt in the oil.
Wash the capers. Before adding the capers, rinse the salt away. I usually add the capers into a strainer and wash them under running water. Then I squeeze them with my hand, chop them a bit and only then I’ll add the capers to the pan. At this point you can add a spoon of hot water taken from the pot where you’re cooking the Broccoli.
Add the broccoli to the pan. When the Broccoli are soft, use a strainer to drain the water and add them to the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Mash the broccoli with a wooden spoon and keep frying them with the rest of the ingredients for a few minutes.
Make the pasta. Keep the water where you cooked the broccoli. Add more water to the pot, bring to a boil, add salt and then pasta. Cook it al dente and only then pour it into the pan with the broccoli. Toss it with a generous drizzle of olive oil, Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve immediately with more Parmesan on top.

Notes

Anchovies and capers can make this pasta pretty salty, so taste the broccoli before adding salt and adjust the saltiness of the pasta water accordingly