Our Broccoli Pasta is full of tender broccoli florets and a rich, creamy cheese sauce. It’s perfect for quick, comfort food anytime.
Broccoli pasta is light, flavorful, and perfect for those times when you want a meatless meal. It only takes a few minutes to prep and about 20 minutes to cook, so you’ll have tasty veggie pasta in no time! A few of our other favorite vegetable pasta dishes are Bow Tie Ham and Peas Pasta, One-Pot Mushroom Pesto Pasta, and Creamy Mushroom Broccoli Pasta.
Creamy Broccoli Pasta:
If you have people in your family that are on the fence about broccoli, pasta is a great vehicle to help ease them into it. Our creamy broccoli pasta is the perfect dish to do just that.
It starts with a creamy sauce made with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Toss in some tender broccoli florets and perfectly cooked rotini noodles, and you have the ultimate cheesy comfort food in a bowl.
This pasta dish is so easy to make and even easier to customize. You can use your favorite pasta and even switch up the cheeses.
How to Make Broccoli Pasta:
- Use your favorite method to steam the broccoli for about 3 minutes until bright green and tender. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse with cold water, drain again. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over low-medium heat.
- Add the garlic and salt, and cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the heavy cream, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses to the pan, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.
- Toss the broccoli into the cheese sauce, and stir to combine.
- Add the cooked noodles, and toss to mix with the broccoli and cheese sauce.
Tips and Variations:
- Pasta: We love rotini for this recipe, but any short noodle will work. Penne, ziti, cavatappi, or bow-tie would be great options.
- Cheese: Parmesan adds a wonderful nutty flavor and mozzarella is extra cheesy and light. If you’d rather do something like Gouda, Gruyere, or even cheddar, those would all taste great.
- Extra Sauce: To make this dish super creamy, make a an extra half batch of sauce or cut back the noodles and broccoli.
- Add-Ins: Crispy bacon pieces, diced ham, sauteed asparagus, peas, or roasted garlic would be great options.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is the way to go here! It’s thick, has a nice fat content, and won’t separate as easily as milk. Make sure it doesn’t come to a boil, or you do run the risk of “breaking” the cream.
Storage Recommendations:
Room Temperature: Broccoli pasta is best served hot. Storage at room temperature is not recommended.
Refrigerator: Store the pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezer: We do not recommend freezing this pasta.
Broccoli Pasta
Print Pin SaveI earn a commission from Amazon and Instacart from qualifying purchases.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 10 ounces rotini pasta about 2 ½ cups
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded off the block
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded off the block
Instructions
- Use your favorite method to steam the broccoli for 3 minutes. Set aside.4 cups broccoli florets
- Boil the pasta according to the package instructions, drain, rinse with cold water, drain again, and set aside.10 ounces rotini pasta
- In a large skillet over low-medium heat, melt the butter. Then add the garlic and salt. Sauté until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds.4 tablespoons unsalted butter2 garlic cloves½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the heavy cream and Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses to the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.1 cup heavy cream1 cup parmesan cheese1 cup mozzarella cheese
- Add the broccoli and stir to combine. Then, add the pasta and toss once again just until combined.
- Serve hot with garlic bread. See the post for storage recommendations.
Lynette
Saturday 16th of July 2022
I love this easy and delicious dish! :) I live by myself, so I halved the recipe and have been making it at least once a month; it wasn’t until today, making it again, to think to leave a review. Thank you for posting. :)
John
Sunday 17th of July 2022
Thank you Lynette, we're glad you enjoy the broccoli pasta! Have a lovely day :)