Silky Broccoli Pasta with Garlic Pangrattato

Silky broccoli pasta topped with golden breadcrumbs.

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Silky Broccoli Pasta with Garlic Pangrattato

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.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: broccoli pasta

Servings: servings

Calories: 475kcal

Author: Kate Phillips

Ingredients

For the garlic pangrattato -

1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove crushed
¼ teaspoon salt

For the broccoli pasta -

1 large head of broccoli about 1 lb
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more to finish
Salt
5 garlic cloves sliced thinly
3 oil-packed anchovy fillets
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 oz dried pasta of your choice (350g)
½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
Zest and juice of 1 lemon juice
Black pepper

Instructions

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.

If it looks too thick at this point, add more pasta water, a spoonful at a time, to loosen it up.

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.

Notes

A NOTE ON THE BROCCOLI: This recipe uses the whole broccoli - stem and all. It's best to chop the stalk reasonably finely so it cooks at the same rate as the florets. You kind of can't overcook the broccoli here (that's really the point!), so don't worry too much. You could also use tenderstem broccoli, which will cook faster.

ANCHOVY SHORTCUT: While anchovies are best here, you can swap them for 1 to 2 teaspoons of fish sauce if you like. It'll give you a similar, deeply umami flavor.

PASTA OPTIONS: Orecchiette is the classic choice because the cute little 'ears' hold the lovely sauce beautifully, but any shape will work. Rigatoni, cavatappi, shells, penne, spaghetti, or linguine are good options.

MAKE IT VEGETARIAN: Swap the anchovies for 1 tablespoon of finely chopped capers or olives, and add 1 teaspoon of white miso paste. Make sure your Parmesan is vegetarian.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Like most pasta recipes, the longer this one sits in the sauce, the more liquid it will absorb. This will impact the texture, but it's still delicious. It'll keep for 3 - 4 days in the fridge - you'll notice the colour of the broccoli will fade the longer it sits too.

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