Broccoli Pasta

This Creamy Broccoli Pasta has pasta shells smothered in a buttery Garlic Parmesan Sauce with herbs, a hint of lemon juice, and lots of broccoli!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 495kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic minced
2 cups chicken broth
1 ¼ cups half and half
½ lb. medium pasta shells
¼ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, dried thyme, salt
½ teaspoon EACH: dried oregano, dried parsley
3 ½ cups broccoli florets uncooked
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¾ cup Parmesan Cheese finely grated into a powder

Instructions

Measure out all ingredients prior to beginning. (This is called “mise en place” and is a good idea for quick recipes.) Pro Tip: Cut the broccoli into smaller pieces so that they cook more quickly.
Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the chicken broth, half and half, and seasonings.
Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Submerge the pasta into the liquid and let it return to a boil. Cook partially covered according to package instructions. Add the broccoli during the last 6 minutes. Run a silicone spatula along the bottom of the pan occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to it.
Remove cover taste-test a pasta noodle for doneness before proceeding. If needed, cover and cook longer, until your desired doneness is obtained.
Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and use a silicone spatula to gently mix in the Parmesan cheese.
Sauce will continue to thicken upon standing. Garnish with parsley and serve with garlic bread with cheese.

Notes

Pro Tips

Grate the cheese from a block so that it melts and tastes the best. Packaged grated or shredded Parmesan cheese contains cellulose to prevent it from clumping together, which also prevents it from melting as well.
A combination of Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano cheese tastes great as well.
Don't add the cheese to a super hot base as this will cause the dairy to separate and the consistency will be grainy instead of smooth.
Similarly-sized pastas may be substituted, refer to package for approximate cooking time. Examples include Fusilli (spiral) and Farfalle (bowtie).
Adding chicken or sausage: Check out my Chicken and Broccoli pasta and Sausage and Broccoli Pasta recipes!

Storage:

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. The consistency of the dairy is altered slightly once reheated but I love heating it in the microwave for a quick lunch!

Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Recipe Source: TheCozyCook.com - For pro tips, step-by-step photos, storage information, and to save it to your account, visit https://framework-keystone.live/broccoli-pasta/%3C/strong%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-35857":{"type":"food","name":"Broccoli Pasta","slug":"wprm-broccoli-pasta","image_url":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Broccoli-Pasta-Recipe-f.jpg","rating":{"count":128,"total":638,"average":4.99,"type":{"comment":128,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":0,"amount":"4","unit":"Tablespoons","name":"butter","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12930,"id":3648,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"4","unit":"Tablespoons","timestamp":1778512416000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"4","unit":"Tablespoons","unitParsed":"Tablespoons"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"4","unit":"cloves","name":"garlic","notes":"minced","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12931,"id":3669,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"4","unit":"cloves","timestamp":1778512416000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"4","unit":"cloves","unitParsed":"cloves"}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"2","unit":"cups","name":"chicken broth","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12935,"id":4205,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"cups","timestamp":1778512416000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"cups","unitParsed":"cups"}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"1 \u00bc","unit":"cups","name":"half and half","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12935,"id":3678,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1 \u00bc","unit":"cups","timestamp":1778512416000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1 \u00bc","unit":"cups","unitParsed":"cups"}}},{"uid":8,"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"lb.","name":"medium pasta shells","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12939,"id":11526,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"lb.","timestamp":1778512416000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"lb.","unitParsed":"lb."}}},{"uid":10,"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"teaspoon","name":"EACH:<\/strong> onion powder, dried thyme, salt","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12938,"id":13724,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1778512416000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":16,"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","name":"EACH: <\/strong>dried oregano, dried parsley","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12938,"id":13492,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1778512416000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":20,"amount":"3 \u00bd","unit":"cups","name":"broccoli florets","notes":"uncooked","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12935,"id":4636,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"3 \u00bd","unit":"cups","timestamp":1778512416000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"3 \u00bd","unit":"cups","unitParsed":"cups"}}},{"uid":22,"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","name":"lemon juice","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12937,"id":3679,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","timestamp":1778512416000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","unitParsed":"teaspoons"}}},{"uid":24,"amount":"\u00be","unit":"cup","name":"Parmesan Cheese","notes":"finely grated into a powder","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12934,"id":4056,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00be","unit":"cup","timestamp":1778512416000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00be","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}}],"originalServings":"4","originalServingsParsed":4,"currentServings":"4","currentServingsParsed":4,"currentServingsFormatted":"4","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"favorite":false,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"collection":{"servingsUnit":"people","servingsUnitRaw":"people","originalServings":"4","originalServingsParsed":4,"type":"recipe","recipeId":35857,"name":"Broccoli Pasta","image":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Broccoli-Pasta-Recipe-f-500x500.jpg","servings":4,"parent_id":"35849","parent_url":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/broccoli-pasta\/","cachedAt":1778512416,"modifiedAt":1756990502}}}