This silky broccoli pasta is one of those ridiculously simple, clever dinners that feels far more boujee than the ingredients might suggest. A whole head of broccoli cooks down into a glossy, garlicky sauce (no cream here!), then gets tossed with pasta, lots of parmesan and lemon, and finished with golden garlic pangrattato for crunch.
Silky Broccoli Pasta, at a Glance
⏰ Total time: 25 minutes
🍽 Servings: 4
🛒 Key Ingredients: Broccoli, garlic, parmesan, lemon, olive oil, anchovies, breadcrumbs, pasta
🧠 Skill level: Easy
🔥 Cooking Method: Stovetop
🥗 Perfect For: Weeknight dinners, when you’re craving pasta but still want veggies
💕 Why You’ll Love: A very simple, umami-loaded, clever pasta where a whole head of broccoli breaks down into a gorgeous, silky sauce.
The magical pasta dish that genuinely surprised me
This is the recipe that will convert a broccoli skeptic 👀 On paper, it might seem a bit basic or boring, but I promise it’s anything but.
I still can’t believe how well it works. The broccoli melts down into a glossy, silky, luscious sauce all by itself, and then it’s lifted by lots of garlic, some anchovies (don’t worry – it doesn’t taste fishy!), red pepper flakes, parmesan, and lemon.
It’s a brilliant recipe for using up a whole head of broccoli, which I often have hanging around in my veg drawer – and transforms it into something very special.
Thank you so much for being a member of Dished by Kate Plus 💕 It really means a lot to me – I hope you enjoy this exclusive recipe.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Pasta. I’m using orecchiette, which works beautifully because it holds sauce well, but you can use whatever type of pasta you like. Something like rigatoni would be great, but so would spaghetti or linguine.
- Broccoli. You’ll use the whole thing, stem and all! Just chop off the bottom of it as it tends to be a little woody. But once the stems have softened in the water, and then cooked with the garlic and chilli, they’ll be soft and lovely.
- Anchovies. These little beauties add a GORGEOUSLY deep, umami flavor that you can’t mimic with salt. It doesn’t make the pasta taste fishy at all. It just brings a lovely savory element that adds so much to the sauce. If you want to keep things vegetarian, use 1 tablespoon of white miso paste.
- Lemon. Try to use a fresh lemon if you can (you’ll need the zest as well as the juice), but otherwise, bottled is fine.
- Breadcrumbs. These are for the crispy pangrattato breadcrumb topping for the pasta. I like to use panko, which are light, Japanese breadcrumbs, but regular ones are fine.
How to make your broccoli pasta
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the pasta – the full recipe with ingredient quantities and instructions is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Start by making your garlicky pangrattato (aka breadcrumbs).
- Bring a large, salted pot of water to a boil, then add the broccoli and cook until soft.
- In a separate pan, cook your garlic and anchovies in olive oil, then add the softened broccoli and a little cooking water.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli softens more and starts to break down. Gently mash the broccoli into a rustic, silky sauce.
- Cook your pasta, then add it to the silky broccoli.
- Toss the pasta with the broccoli sauce, adding a little parmesan and pasta cooking water until gorgeously silky.
- Divide your pasta between plates, making sure to spoon over lots of that lovely sauce. Finish with your garlicky crumb, then enjoy while hot and gorgeous.
Worried about anchovies?
Don’t be! You’re not using enough for the pasta to taste overly fishy – they’re just there to provide a lovely, deep, umami flavor that salt alone can’t replicate.
Because broccoli is quite mild, it needs a few big flavor enhancers to lift it. That’s where the anchovies come in (along with garlic, lemon, and Parmesan).
If you don’t want to use them, or don’t have them, you can swap them for fish sauce (still essentially anchovies but easier to work with), or use white miso paste.
Like this recipe? Here are more quick pasta ideas for you
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
Silky Broccoli Pasta with Garlic Pangrattato
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the broccoli.Trim and discard the end of the broccoli stalk, then finely chop the remaining stalk, and cut the head into small florets. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt.Add the chopped broccoli, stems and all, and cook for 5 minutes, until bright green and tender.
- Make the garlic pangrattato. While the broccoli cooks, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves, the panko breadcrumbs, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, until golden and crispy. Transfer to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Start the sauce.Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the same skillet. Add the sliced garlic, anchovies, red pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, stirring and pressing the anchovies into the oil so they dissolve, until the garlic is fragrant and the anchovies have dissolved into the oil.You don't want the garlic to brown too much, so reduce the heat if needed.
- Soften the broccoli.Use a slotted spoon to transfer the broccoli straight from the pot to the skillet, then add roughly ½ cup of the broccoli cooking water. Cook, stirring, for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the broccoli is super soft and starting to collapse.
- Cook the pasta.While the broccoli softens, add your pasta to the same pot of boiling water the broccoli was cooking in. Cook until al dente (cooked, but with a bite to it).
- Smash the broccoli sauce.The broccoli should now be super soft and mashable – use the back of a spatula, or a potato masher, to break up the broccoli into a lovely, rustic, creamy sauce. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth – some chunkier pieces of broccoli give it a nice texture.
- Combine the pasta and sauce.Transfer the pasta directly to the pan with the broccoli sauce, along with ½ cup of pasta cooking water. Toss to combine the pasta with the sauce, then scatter over half the parmesan. Let it sit on top of the pasta for about 30 seconds to melt a little, then toss again until glossy and silky.
- Finish and serve.Stir through the lemon zest and lemon juice, and a good grind of black pepper. Taste, and add any extra salt, Parmesan, or black pepper as needed.Divide between bowls, then sprinkle the crispy pangrattato on top. Scatter with extra parmesan and a little olive oil to serve.
