Pasta con Broccoli is an easy one pot Italian dish. Pasta shells are tossed in a rich tomato cream sauce with tender broccoli and mushrooms. This meal is on the table in under 30 minutes! It’s an incredibly popular dish at St. Louis restaurants like 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 come together in a single pot. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner requiring minimal prep, cook time, and a single dish to clean.
It’s also the easiest way to sneak in veggies. The rich tomato cream sauce covers the mushrooms while the shells envelope the broccoli!
Ingredients
- Pasta – Shells, or any pasta with ridges, help capture the thick sauce. I like medium shells to capture mushrooms and broccoli in every bite of my pasta con broccoli.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted, your preference. Simply adjust additional salt at the end of this dish.
- 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 for a shortcut, but you can use fresh if you have it on hand.
- Mushrooms – This recipe is the easiest way to sneak veggies in! The mushrooms are coated in cream sauce, who can resist that?
- Broccoli – 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!
Variations
As with any dish, you can adjust pasta con broccoli to your preference.
- 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 from my Test Kitchen
- Don’t overcook. Strain pasta before it is done (it continues to cook when you add the other ingredients) and watch broccoli carefully so it doesn’t become mushy.
- Use fresh broccoli (vs frozen) to keep moisture to a minimum.
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!
Pasta Con Broccoli
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 4 cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup broccoli fresh, chopped
- 1 cup fresh mushrooms fresh, sliced
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil.
- Add pasta. Prepare until ¾ done (the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce) and strain. Return pasta to pot.16 ounces pasta
- Reduce heat to medium low and add butter, half and half, tomato sauce, minced garlic, red pepper, broccoli, and mushrooms.¼ cup butter, 1½ cups half and half, ⅓ cup tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup fresh mushrooms
- Boil until noodles and vegetables are tender and sauce thickens – about 4 minutes.¾ cup parmesan cheese, salt and pepper
- Remove from heat and toss with parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste.
Julie’s Tips
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- Don’t overcook pasta. Strain as soon as it’s cooked 3/4 of the way done (it continues to cook with the other ingredients), and watch broccoli carefully so it doesn’t become mushy.
- Use fresh broccoli (vs frozen) to keep moisture to a minimum.
Substitutions
- Half and Half – This results in a light cream sauce, however, if you prefer a richer cream sauce, you can substitute with heavy cream.
Variations
- 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.
Storage Notes
Store in an airtight container, refrigerated up to 3 days. Or, freeze in an airtight container up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat to serve.How to Reheat
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- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Add pasta to an oven safe dish. Drizzle with leftover sauce or heavy cream, half and half or more tomato sauce.
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- Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes or until completely heated through. Serve with fresh grated parmesan and cracked pepper.
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
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Originally posted May 2014
I loved the simplicity of this recipe! It’s so easy to make and so delicious to EAT!
Such an easy and tasty recipe! My kids don’t like mushrooms, so I left those out and added a little extra broccoli. It was still delicious!
I have to save and try this, thank you!
This was so easy and delicious! I will be making this again for my niece’s graduation party this weekend; yum!
One of our favorites in my house! It’s so good!