A simple, flavourful, vegetarian pasta that is bound to impress!
A flavour sensation
This dish encapsulates everything I love about pasta. The toasted nuts are wonderfully textural, the ricotta is creamy, and the garlic and chilli flakes are an absolute flavour bomb. It’s a far cry from the bland broccoli dishes we have all experienced!
Broccoli originated in Southern Italy over 2000 years ago, so Italians have plenty of experience cooking with this vegetable. Variations on broccoli pasta exist all over the country, some with meat or anchovies, but almost always with garlic, breadcrumb or chilli. If you typically eat pasta with ‘red’ or meat based sauces, this is a fantastic gateway to something different.
Little ears
The pasta type best suited to this dish is orecchiette, “little ears,” which originated in Puglia, Southern Italy. Its domed shape makes it perfect for holding chunky sauces like this one. It is also thicker than other pasta shapes, which gives it a lovely chewiness. If you cannot find orecchiette, other good options include fusilli and conchiglie (shells), as these shapes give the sauce something to hold onto.
Simple and easy!
While it’s not a ‘one pot’ dish, this pasta is easy to pull together. The nuts can be toasted at any point earlier in the day, and everything else can be brought together in the time it takes for your pasta to boil.
The trick is to make sure you remember to reserve some of the pasta water. As there is no tomato included, it is a dryer sauce. You will need to judge how much liquid to add, depending on the ricotta you use and your breadcrumbs. Always add a touch more water than you think you will need, as it will continue to cook off and thicken while the pan is on the heat.
Ingredients and equipment
- Olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced (or more!)
- 500g broccoli florets (Note 1)
- 250g fresh ricotta
- 180g slivered almonds (walnuts or pine nuts would work well too)
- 80g parmesan, grated, plus more to serve
- Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
- 500g orecchiette (or pasta of your choice)
- 50g breadcrumbs, or to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- A large saucepan
- A medium saucepan
- A very large pan or Dutch oven
Broccoli Pasta
Equipment
- large saucepan
- medium saucepan
- very large pan or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves (or more) (sliced)
- 500 g broccoli florets (Note 1)
- 250 g fresh ricotta
- 180 g slivered almonds (walnuts or pine nuts would work well too)
- 80 g parmesan (grated; plus more to serve)
- pinch chilli flakes (optional)
- 500 g orecchiette pasta (or pasta of your choice)
- 50 g breadcrumbs (or to taste)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook your pasta according to packet instructions, minus a minute. Drain, reserving a mug worth of cooking water.
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to the boil. Cook your broccoli. Drain. (Note 1).
- While your pasta and broccoli are boiling, lightly toast your nuts in a dry pan.
- In a very large pan or dutch oven, heat a very generous lug of olive oil over a medium flame.
- Add your garlic and saute briefly.
- Lower the flame and add the cooked pasta, broccoli, almonds, and ricotta.
- Stir in the parmesan, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to taste, and as much of the pasta water as necessary to make a lovely thick creamy sauce.
- Serve immediately with more grated parmesan, garlic bread and a green salad.
Notes
- You want your broccoli on the softer side for this recipe. Not ‘al dente,’ but certainly not dissolving into mush either. If your florets are very big, you can give them a rough chop after cooking. It's fine to have a mix of sizes.
After other meatless meals?
Hannah is a single mother of one and part-time librarian, living in Melbourne. A self-professed type A Martha (in the best possible sense), she loves to witness to her faith through service and hospitality. In her spare time, Hannah can be found reading recipe books, eating cheese or staking out Melbourne’s best delis.
