Skip to Content

Broccoli Pasta

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.

Large serving spoon with broccoli and 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:

  1. Use your favorite method to steam the broccoli for about 3 minutes until bright green and tender. Set aside.
  2. Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse with cold water, drain again. Set aside.
  3. In a large skillet, melt the butter over low-medium heat.
  4. Add the garlic and salt, and cook an additional 30 seconds.
  5. 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.
  6. Toss the broccoli into the cheese sauce, and stir to combine.
  7. Add the cooked noodles, and toss to mix with the broccoli and cheese sauce.
Collage showing how to make broccoli pasta.

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.
Top down view of pasta with broccoli in a gray bowl.

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.

Gray bowl with pasta and broccoli.

Broccoli Pasta

5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Save
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings

I earn a commission from Amazon and Instacart from qualifying purchases.

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 butter
    2 garlic cloves
    ½ 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 cream
    1 cup parmesan cheese
    1 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.


Notes

*The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients in the recipe card and a serving size of 2 cups of pasta. Actual calories will vary.
 
*For more information, tips, and answers to frequently asked questions, please refer to the post.
 
*Photos and recipe courtesy of Karla Rae Photography.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 788kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 956mg | Potassium: 579mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2197IU | Vitamin C: 82mg | Calcium: 466mg | Iron: 2mg

Recipe Rating




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 :)