Pasta Con Broccoli

Name: Pasta Con Broccoli
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 23 min
Ingredients: 16 ounces pasta ((shells or whatever your favorite is)); ¼ cup butter (salted); 1½ cups half and half ((12 ounces)); ⅓ cup tomato sauce; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 cup broccoli ((fresh, chopped)); 1 cup fresh mushrooms ((fresh, sliced)); ¾ cup parmesan cheese (fresh grated); pepper (to taste)

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By: Julie Blanner26 Comments
Updated: 5/2/23

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Pasta con Broccoli is an easy one pot Italian dish. Shells are tossed in a rich tomato cream sauce with tender broccoli and mushrooms. It’s made start to finish in less than 20 minutes!

Growing up in St. Louis, Pasta con Broccoli has always been a family favorite. It’s an incredibly popular dish at St. Louis staples, Zia’s, Cunetto’s, Pasta House and Rich and Charlie’s.

Pasta con Broccoli is not only quick and easy to make, but to clean up, too! It’s a one-pot pasta! All the ingredients for an incredible, well-rounded dish in a single pot. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner requiring minimal prep, cook time, and a single dish to clean.

It’s the easiest way to sneak in veggies. The rich tomato cream sauce covers the mushrooms while the shells envelope the broccoli!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

So Easy to Make – This meal is on the table in under 30 minutes!
Minimal Ingredients – With a few fresh additions, this is a delicious meal that doesn’t require a long list of ingredients!
Wholesome and Nutritious – This is a family friendly dinner that you can feel good about serving.

Visit the printable recipe card for complete ingredients and instructions.

Table of Contents

Ingredients and Substitutions

Pasta – Shells, or any pasta with ridges, help capture the thick sauce. Medium shells to capture mushrooms and broccoli in every bite.
Butter – Salted or unsalted, your preference.
Half and Half – This results in a light cream sauce, however, if you prefer a richer cream sauce, you can substitute with heavy cream.
Pepper – both red pepper and black pepper add flavor to this easy recipe. I like to use my pepper grinder set for thick flakes for maximum texture and flavor.
Garlic – I use a bottle of minced garlic here but you can use fresh if you have it on hand. You can find jars of it in the produce section of your grocery store.
Mushrooms – This recipe is the easiest way to sneak veggies in! The mushrooms are coated in cream sauce, who can resist that?
Broccoli – The broccoli is so tender it becomes one with the noodle and often gets trapped inside with delicious sauce. Use fresh broccoli for the best flavor and texture.
Parmesan – Fresh grated Parmesan is always best for your pasta recipes – learn how to grate cheese here!

How to Make Pasta Con Broccoli

Prepare Pasta – Boil noodles in salty water until ¾ cooked. Strain and return to pot.
Prepare Sauce – Add broccoli, mushrooms, butter, half and half, tomato sauce, garlic, red pepper and stir occasionally. When sauce becomes thick, noodles are fully cooked and vegetables are tender (about 4 minutes), remove from heat.
Garnish – Toss with parmesan and season with pepper to taste.

Variations

As with any dish, you can tweak to your preference. The options are endless! These are a few of my favorite ideas to tweak this delicious dish!

Add More Vegetables – Cauliflower, sweet onions, asparagus and zucchini all pair well with this tomato cream sauce.
Add Protein – Juicy baked chicken breast, cooked Italian sausage, bacon, or guanicale.
Substitute with Rice or Gnocchi – In lieu of egg noodle, substitute rice or gnocchi.

Tips

Don’t overcook. Strain pasta before it is done and watch broccoli carefully so it doesn’t become mushy.
Use fresh broccoli to keep moisture to a minimum.

Make More (or Less!)

Scaling up, down or substituting? You’ll love this printable Measurement Conversion Chart!

How to Store

Refrigerate – Store in an airtight container up to three days. Add a touch of heavy cream or half and half to warm on stovetop, in the oven or microwave.
Freeze – Freeze in an airtight container up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat to serve.

To Reheat

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Add pasta to an oven safe dish. Drizzle with leftover sauce, heavy cream, half and half or tomato sauce.
Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes or until completely heated through. Serve with fresh grated parmesan and cracked pepper.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you cut broccoli for pasta?

Cut into tiny florets, the same size or smaller than the noodle you are using. Slice large florets in half removing the stem.

Can you boil pasta and vegetables together?

Yes, you can! For best results, add your chopped veggies into the boiling pasta water about five minutes before it’s done.

Serving Suggestions

One of the other things I love about this one-pot Pasta Con Broccoli is that you don’t need a side dish because it’s packed with wholesome veggies. However, you can serve it with a variety of sides if you’d like!