• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Baking Fairy logo

  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipe Index
  • Sponsors & Brands
  • Custom Orders
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Recipes / Soups, Salads & Pasta / creamy broccoli pasta

    creamy broccoli pasta

    Jun 2, 2015 · 2 Comments

    creamy broccoli pasta |The Baking Fairy

    Ah yes, yet another recipe to add to my collection of Italian food! This is creamy broccoli pasta, and it's super easy and super tasty. My mom makes this allll time time, and it's a perfect fast weeknight meal. I know pasta with broccoli sauce sounds a little funny, but don't underestimate the ability of Italians to turn anything into a pasta dish. Green beans? Yes, we put those in pasta. Spinach? Of course. Cauliflower? No biggie. Potatoes? Yep, even potatoes. I'll have to share THAT recipe sometime once it gets cold again, the combination of carbs on top of more carbs is a perfect stick-to-your-ribs, wintery kind of meal. But I digress. Broccoli! On pasta! Here it is.

    creamy broccoli pasta | The Baking Fairy

    This is the perfect fast and easy meal! It's vegetarian, but swap out the parmesan for some nutritional yeast {or some other form of vegan cheesy-tasting thing}, and it's magically vegan. And as far as pastas go, it's probably one of the healthiest! The sauce is seriously just broccoli with some olive oil, garlic, parmesan, and a touch of cream for extra richness. You just toss that with your bowtie pasta {though spaghetti are also magical with this sauce}, and dinner is served. Easy peasy!

    creamy broccoli pasta | The Baking FairyFor some reason, while my entire family pretty much loves this dish, my dad isn't a huge fan. I think it's his manly, I-need-meat-in-every-meal complex. Pfffft. I think this is delicious, and honestly I don't miss the meat at all! Though if you must be so picky, I bet some grilled chicken would taste pretty great on here. But don't let any Italians know I told you that... while we can turn almost anything in a pasta dish, there is some sort of unspoken, unwritten rule that says we must never, EVER put chicken in pasta. I don't know why, but it's just a thing you don't do. Whatever. Italian reasoning. I think this pasta is great as-is. 🙂

    creamy broccooli pasta | The Baking Fairy

    Print Recipe

    creamy broccoli pasta

    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time30 minutes mins
    Total Time40 minutes mins
    Course: Vegetarian
    Cuisine: Italian
    Servings: 4 servings
    Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy

    Ingredients

    • 2 heads of broccoli {or about 4 cups frozen broccoli}
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • ¼ cup parmesan cheese
    • 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
    • 2-3 tablespoon heavy cream
    • salt pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes, to taste
    • 1 box small pasta {like penne or bowties}

    Instructions

    • Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, wash your two heads of broccoli, and cut into small-ish florets.
    • When the water comes to a boil, toss in the broccoli, and a bit of salt. Let the broccoli cook for 5-10 minutes, until it's soft but not falling apart. You definitely want them softer than steamed broccoli!
    • Heat the olive oil and garlic over medium-high in a large nonstick skillet. Once the oil starts to shimmer and the garlic is lightly sizzling, drain the broccoli and throw it in the pan. Stir the broccoli until they start to fall apart and become creamy.
    • Add in the parmesan and heavy cream, and season to taste. Lower the heat to a simmer while you prepare the pasta.
    • Bring another medium pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions.
    • Once pasta is done, drain it, and toss it with the broccoli sauce. Add some of the pasta water if its too thick, and add more seasoning if needed. Serve with plenty of cheese!

     

    « tomato sauce poached eggs
    {vegan} strawberry peach cobbler »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Megan - The Emotional Baker says

      June 03, 2015 at 5:51 am

      This looks like such an awesome dish & I'm sure my family would love it!

      Reply
    2. Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says

      June 04, 2015 at 12:52 pm

      This sounds awesome! So simple but delicious! I'm totally with your family, by the way... carbs on carbs is my kind of meal! 🙂

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome!


    Hi! My name is Valentina and I'm The Baking Fairy! Pediatric physician assistant by day and food blogger extraordinaire by night. Full-blooded Italian, but I've lived in Texas for most of my life. I love margaritas, brownies, avocados, and my mamma's homemade pizza. Married to my high school sweetheart (who is ALSO a pediatrician). My mission is to make plant-based cooking fun and delicious, one recipe at a time. I want to show people that vegan food is not just for vegans!

    Subscribe!

    Sign up for my newsletter and be the first to know about new recipes and exclusive content!

    Watch My Latest Video!

    Shop my Amazon Favorites!

    Pin with me!

    Visit Valentina | The Baking Fairy's profile on Pinterest.

    Reader Favorites!

    homemade cosmic brownies from above

    vegan homemade cosmic brownies

    strawberry cake mix crinkle cookies | The Baking Fairy #FoodBloggerLove

    strawberry cake mix crinkle cookies

    bomboloni {italian doughnuts}

    italian apple cake

    5-ingredient white queso

    Footer

    Hi, I'm Valentina, aka The Baking Fairy! Baking, cooking, food photography, cake decorating, party planning... I do it all. Oh, and I'm a pediatric Physician Assistant in my spare time. You can follow my crazy adventures here. Welcome to my blog!

    time for dinner!

    slice of broccoli cheese quiche on plate
    plate of crispy tempeh with lemon pepper marinade
    balsamic herb tofu on a plate with mashed potatoes and kale salad
    sandwich with vegan bacon, lettuce, tomato on a white plate
    overhead shot of herb tofu skewers with chimichurri sauce, grilled vegetables, rice and naan bread
    Cook'd Pro Responsive Minimalist Food Blog Theme

    Copyright © 2025 · The Baking Fairy · Privacy Policy