Italian Pasta with Broccoli Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Ready in under 20 minutes, this Italian Pasta with Broccoli recipe is the perfect meatless Monday meal or a busy weeknight dinner!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: Servings

Calories: 347kcal

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of salt to the boiling water.
While the water boils, cut the broccoli into small pieces.
Add the broccoli to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
While the broccoli cooks, add the olive oil to a large sauté pan. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes and cook on medium heat for 1 minute.
Remove the broccoli from the water with a slotted spoon and add it to garlic and oil mixture in the pan. Bring the water back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook based on the package instructions.
With a wooden spoon, stir the broccoli mixture well. Cook for 3 minutes until the broccoli is tender and coated with the spicy oil. Turn the heat off after 3 minutes so the broccoli does not burn.
When the pasta is al dente, take a cup of the pasta water and set it aside.
When the pasta is al dente, take a cup of the pasta water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and add the cooked pasta directly into the large pan with the broccoli mixture. If the pasta looks too dry, add a little pasta water to create a sauce. Stir everything well to combine and serve immediately

Frozen broccoli can be substituted for fresh broccoli.
To make this less spicy, add ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes, or leave the red pepper flakes out all together.