Pasta with Broccoli Sauce
This is the perfect dish for when you want to get a good dose of greens, but you still want the comfort of a cozy bowl of pasta and sauce. The sauce is made with the stems of the broccoli and baby spinach, which are cooked in the leftover pasta water. It has a bright green color with a silky texture and a slight garlic flavor (the garlic is cooked along with broccoli stems in the boiling water to mellow the flavor a little). Don’t undercook the broccoli stems.
You can easily add more broccoli florets or pasta to stretch the dish to feed more people, or you can use less pasta and have a saucier bowl of pasta. Since the sauce is made of broccoli, there’s no harm in adding a little more to your bowl.
The way this recipe works is basically you keep a big pot of boiling water going and you first cook the pasta, remove it, and then cook the broccoli stems, remove them to blend up and make the sauce, and then cook the broccoli florets. Since you will use the same hot water you’ll need a way to remove the pasta and broccoli from the pot so I suggest a small strainer or a spider.
I also like to use Banza chickpea pasta for this because it has a huge amount of protein so that you have a complete meal without adding any other protein source. I usually only cook the Banza rotini for about 6 minutes, and make sure to rinse it well.
Have fun!
- 4 cups uncooked rotini pasta, cooked (or other pasta of choice)
- 3 large heads of broccoli
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2-3 big handfuls baby spinach
- 1 lemon zested
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 chives
- kosher salt
- fresh ground pepper
- parmesan cheese to garnish
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Cook pasta according to directions and cooking time on package. (I went with a chickpea rotini pasta, but use whatever you like. You can use more pasta to make a bigger meal and have it less saucy, and less pasta for it to be more saucy.) Don't pour out the water.
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Meanwhile prepare broccoli by cutting off and discarding the rough end of the broccoli stem (about 2 inches or so). Then cut the stem away from the head getting as close to the florets as you can. Roughly chop the remaining good stem and set aside. Separate the florets into bite size pieces and set aside.
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When the pasta is done cooking use a spider or slotted spoon to remove it from the water (leave the hot water in the pot because you'll need it) and let it drain in a colander. If you are using the chickpea pasta make sure to rinse it.
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With the pasta water still boiling, add the broccoli stems and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes until they stems are really tender. It is better for the stems to be too soft than for them to be too hard to blend.
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When the stems are done cooking add the spinach and cook for about 5 seconds. Remove everything from the pot using the spider/slotted spoon (leaving the water again) and add it to the blender along with the lemon zest, red pepper flakes, herbs and olive oil. Add in about 1/4 cup of the pasta water as well.
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Blend the broccoli sauce starting on low and increasing to high until it is smooth and a light green. (Make sure you have room for the steam to escape from the blender, and use a towel to cover the hole, not your hand). Season the sauce with salt and pepper and set aside while you cook the broccoli florets.
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Cook the broccoli florets briefly in the remaining water until they are bright green but not mushy. (I like my broccoli to keep a bit of texture so I usually only do this for about 1 minute or so). Add the broccoli florets in with the pasta in the colander. Drain the pasta water, and add the broccoli florets and pasta back into the dirty pot.
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Pour the broccoli stem and garlic sauce over the pasta and florets and stir together until everything is coated in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper if it needs it.
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Divide into bowls, grate parmesan over the top of each bowl, sprinkle with any remaining herbs and serve immediately.
