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Pasta e broccoli
Pasta e broccoli: Naples' one-pot pasta cooked in broccoli melted with garlic and chilli
In Neapolitan homes pasta e broccoli is a midweek winter lunch, the sort of 'pasta e…' dish where vegetables and pasta are cooked in the same pot until they turn creamy without any cream. Broccoli is simmered with garlic, chilli and olive oil until it falls apart, then broken short pasta goes straight in with a little hot water and is stirred like a risotto, so the starch binds it all into a thick, green sauce. Finish with grated cheese and a thread of good oil. The usual mistake is adding too much water at once, which turns it into soup; add a ladle at a time. Chef's tip: chop the broccoli stalks finely and start them first, because they give the sauce most of its body.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlicsliced
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 ½ lb broccoliflorets chopped small, stalks peeled and finely diced
- 3 ¾ cups hot waterkept on a low simmer
- 1 tsp salt
- 11 ½ oz pasta mista or broken spaghetti
- 1 ⅜ oz pecorino romanograted; traditionally made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese for a vegetarian dish
- ¼ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Warm 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium heat. Add 3 cloves garlic and ½ tsp dried chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute until the garlic is pale gold.
1 minStep 3: Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then mash with a wooden spoon until the broccoli is a rough green cream.
10 minStep 4: Add 11 ½ oz pasta mista or broken spaghetti and another ladle of water. Cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring often and adding water a ladle at a time when it gets thick, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is creamy and clings to it.
12 minStep 5: Off the heat, stir in 1 ⅜ oz pecorino romano, ¼ tsp black pepper and the rest of the 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Rest for 1 minute and serve.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pasta e broccoli take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of pasta mista or broken spaghetti?
- Linguine or any long pasta, same amount.
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