This super easy broccoli pasta recipe is a quick meal for a busy night! The veggies keep it healthy, and the garlic, lemon, and red pepper make it extra tasty, making it one of my favorite quick pasta dishes. Originally published December 9, 2015.
You know when you are on the phone with someone and you have to climb stairs and pretend like you are not totally winded? I always fail miserably. I get almost to the top of the stairs sounding totally normal, and then suddenly I interrupt whatever they are telling me, (GASP) “Sorry, (deep breath), I’m climbing the (puff puff) stairs and I think I’m (wheeze) going to die.”
So a couple weeks ago I decided that I need to start some kind of exercise regime so that I don’t die from climbing stairs before I’m even 30.
So I did some yoga for the first time ever after some recommendations from my girl Sarah over at Broma Bakery. (She is all about the yoga. Check out them abs.) And I loved it! I did an hour and twenty minutes the first day and vowed to do it every day for the rest of my life. I told my whole family. “I’m a yoga person now! I love it!”
The next day I did an hour. The next day I did 45 minutes.
Last night my dad asked how the daily yoga was going. My brother chimed in, “I watched her do some yoga yesterday…for 45 seconds.”
45 minutes…45 seconds…who’s counting really?
And seriously who’s got time for yoga when there are Christmas cookies to be eaten.
I don’t know about you but all of my free time in December is dedicated to baking, which means I’m usually too tired to feed my family actual dinner. Ain’t nobody got time for extravagant dinners when there are presents to wrap and stockings to stuff and Christmas PJs to lounge in. (Let’s be real.)
That’s where this one-pot meal (with vegetables to boot) swoops in to the rescue and keeps me from eating Christmas cookies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After all, if you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything (Princess Bride anyone??).
Pasta and Broccoli Boiled Together!
Yep, you read that right. None of this boil the pasta in one pot, boil the broccoli in another. Just throw it all in together. Perfectly al dente pasta and deliciously tender broccoli cooked together, tossed in a salty, lemony, garlicky, slightly spicy cheese sauce.
Oh, and it’s also ready in 20 minutes flat.
Does it get any better than that?
Ingredients for Broccoli Lemon Pasta
This one-pot broccoli lemon pasta is loaded with fresh and flavorful ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need. Full recipe can be found in the recipe card down below.
- Water
- Salt
- Broccoli
- Rotini pasta
- Spinach
- Butter
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Crushed red pepper
- Parmesan
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
How to make easy pasta recipes
This is the best kind of recipe, because it’s so basic that you can literally swap in whatever you have on hand. It’s just rotini, broccoli, spinach, and a simple lemon-butter-garlic sauce. No broccoli? Use asparagus! No rotini? Use spaghetti! No lemons? Use another acid like red wine vinegar (make sure you taste as you go!)
If you do use a lemon though, I highly recommend zesting with a microplane grater (here’s the one I have). It will take you 30 seconds and amps up the flavor a ton. It’s my favorite kitchen tool!
Do you guys have these Analon pans? They are awesome. I took the top left picture so that you could see the part where it says “Metal Utensil Safe.” (And so you could see me taking the photo. HIII!!) How many pans have you ruined because you used a metal spoon on it? Soooo many. I love this!
Variations for Pasta with Broccoli
- Use another pasta. Pretty much any pasta shape will work! Just make sure it requires around the same cooking time as the rotini would (about 7 minutes), so it cooks at the same rate as the broccoli.
- Add a protein. Bulk up the pasta with cooked chicken, chopped bacon, sausage, or even chickpeas to keep it vegetarian.
- Make it cheesier. Love cheesy pasta? Add more cheese! Feta or mozzarella would be delicious, but let your cheese-loving heart guide you.
- Add veggies. Give your meal even more color and flavor with zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, red onion, asparagus, you name it. These vegetables don’t do well boiling, so toss in some already cooked leftovers, or roast, saute, or grill before stirring them in with the parmesan.
- Make it creamy. Mix in a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half along with the lemon butter if you’re craving something decadent.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Broccoli and Pasta
Leftover pasta with broccoli will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months, but keep in mind the texture won’t be quite the same.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen, then warm on low on the stove or in the microwave until heated through. Adding a splash of chicken or vegetable broth when heating will help preserve the texture. No mushy pasta!
What goes with broccoli pasta?
This pasta and broccoli is a full meal on its own, but you can definitely add homemade bread or rolls (no one will complain, I promise) or serve an appetizer if you’re feeling fancy. Here are a few of my favorite appetizers and breads:
- Cheesy Bacon Ranch Puffs
- Extra Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Big Fat Crescent Rolls
- One Hour French Bread
- Easy Fluffy One Hour Dinner Rolls
Other easy dinner recipes to love:
- Easy BLT Pasta Salad
- Ham Mac N Cheese Soup: << pure comfort food right here.
- Easy Baked Pesto Chicken
- Brown Butter Gnocchi with Asparagus and Prosciutto << sounds fancier than it is. 30 minutes, tops.
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Lemon Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 quarts water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 & 1/2 pounds broccoli, fresh
- 1 pound rotini pasta
- 3-4 cups spinach
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
- 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper
- 1 cup Parmesan, fresh, plus more to garnish
- olive oil, to garnish
- salt and pepper , to taste
- lemon wedges, fresh, to garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet or pot, bring the salt and water to a boil.
- While you wait, prep your broccoli by trimming the stems and cutting the florets into similar sized pieces (I like mine bite-size.)
- Add the rotini and boil on high for 4 minutes. Add the broccoli, cover, and set a timer for 3 minutes (Leave the burner on high enough to keep a rolling boil).
- When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and drain the pasta using a lid or colander. Return to the pan and stir in the spinach.
- Sprinkle with lemon zest. Let it sit for a few minutes so the spinach wilts.
- Meanwhile, in a small skillet melt the 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. (I let mine get brown, because that’s just how I roll, but that’s not necessary).
- Add the minced garlic and crushed red pepper and saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Turn off the heat and add 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Add the lemon butter to the pasta and stir.
- Stir in 1 cup fresh parmesan cheese. Add a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with more cheese, fresh lemon wedges, and eat hot!
Notes
Nutrition
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Anolon. The opinions and text are all mine!
THis was delicious! Only changes I made was extra salt and pepper, cherry tomatoes , and peas. To reheat the leftovers, I may have to make more sauce. I’ll definitely make it again. Thank you!!! Gale
Love the cherry tomatoes Gale! Sounds delicious! Thanks so much for commenting!
Oh my!!! This was so good. We’ve made it a few times and today we tried it with chickpea noodles. It’s was even better!!!!!
Chickpea noodles! great idea Jennifer! Thanks for sharing!
I love this recipe! I also add tuna for added protein which taste Devine with the combination. What is the nutritional value to this recipe?
Tuna sounds delicious Sheila! And I don’t provide nutrition info for my recipes, but there are a lot of online calculators you could plug it into!
Can’t WAIT to try this, 3 of my daughter’s favorite ingredients, noodles + lemon + broccoli, it can’t lose! She makes parmesan sandwiches out of breadsticks @ the olive garden, so I am SURE we’ll be posting a THUMB’S UP review, and you’re right, even during this pandemic, we HAVE the ingredients on-hand! Will let ya know how it goes over! Thx!
Okay parmesan sandwiches out of breadsticks sounds amazing, you have a smart daughter ;) Enjoy the pasta! Thanks for commenting!
This was AMAZING! Great directions and recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it Katie! Thanks for reviewing!
I use Alfredo sauce with this recipe add chicken and bake in oven.
Made this tonight and it’s absolutely delish!!! I did use someone’s idea below and doubled the butter. Omg so good! Thanks for sharing this with us
doubling the butter is always a good idea ;) Thanks Aamna!
This recipe is delicious and I have made it several times. I usually add some grilled chicken!
Great idea Jess!
I found this recipe looking for a quick and easy side using broccoli, to go with homemade fish cakes. This is perfect. I cannot wait to try it. Thanks!
Ooh this would be delicious with homemade fish cakes! Sounds like the perfect pairing. Hope it goes well Mel, thanks for commenting!
One of my weekday saviors! Super easy recipe that doesn’t leave a huge mess! Thank you thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear that Amy! It’s a weeknight staple around here too!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I loved this pasta! And loved the leftovers even more the next day as a salad for lunch. I added some almonds. I think the combination of broccoli, lemon and almonds is irresistible.
Ooh adding almonds is genius! And I agree, I like it cold for lunch the next day :) Thanks Jessie!
I made this last night and it was so yummy! And plenty of leftovers for a couple more nights, which is always a win! I bought way too much broccoli and also added some carrots, because that’s what my two-year-old is into this week, so I doubled the lemon/garlic butter, and it worked perfectly. The red pepper flakes give it just the right amount of kick, too!
Is there a thing as way too much broccoli ;) I’m so glad even the 2 year old liked it! That’s a winner for sure.
I made this and it was delicious! I added grilled chicken and made it a main dish. Normally my husband’s best meal compliment is “Its okay”, but for this meal he actually wanted left overs for work the next day! I’ll probably double the lemon next time because I feel about lemon like I do about garlic- you can never have too much!
I’m with you Jackie! Never too much lemon or garlic! :)
I love that this took under 20 minutes to make! I used a brown rice + quinoa blend rotini and added halved cherry tomatoes.
My husband and 4 year old son who usually aren’t overly fond of lemon devoured it. No leftovers!
I did add more lemon juice to my portion because why not?!
Picture will be on IGA soon. Thanks!
I love the brown rice rotini idea! I’m so glad you liked it Tina. Thanks!
I fixed the Lemon Broccoli Pasta tonight and was very pleasantly surprised. My husband .told me it was super delicious and a keeper. The lemon and pepper flakes added lots of zing and flavor. Thank you for posting this recipe.
It’s kind of crazy how much flavor comes from a little lemon and pepper flakes, right? I’m glad you liked it Theresa!