Garlic Oil Sauteed Pasta with Broccoli

Article by Layla Khoury-Hanold

Pasta dinners are a quick weeknight meal and pasta with broccoli is as easy as it gets. Melissa d’Arabian’s take is a satisfying, simple pasta dinner spruced up with a garlic-infused oil and plenty of Parmesan—and it’s vegetarian, budget-friendly and kid-friendly to boot. With Melissa’s easy recipe, you’ll learn how to prep the broccoli florets and stems, how to make a flavorful infused-oil, the key to obtaining a crisp-tender texture for the broccoli, what kind of pasta to use and the key technique for pulling the sauce together.

How to Make Pasta with Broccoli Like a Pro

Prep the broccoli florets and stems. Melissa slices part of a broccoli head into very thin florets and cuts the peeled stalk into matchsticks to make them into similar sizes and ensure that it all cooks evenly.

Make a flavorful garlic-infused oil. Melissa infuses olive oil with smashed garlic cloves to create a flavorful base for the pasta sauce. She adds red pepper flakes for a little bit of heat and red wine vinegar for tang (plus you get the flavor of wine without the cost of wine).

Toss dry broccoli into the pan and quickly saute. Make sure the broccoli is completely dry before tossing it into the pan so that it readily absorbs the infused oil. Sautee for just a few minutes to take off some of the crunch.

Reach for penne pasta. Melissa opts for penne, a short pasta with ridges that help the sauce cling to the noodles and whose size complements the broccoli pieces. She quickly sautes the noodles to incorporate them fully into the oil and broccoli without overcooking them.

Add pasta water to help make the sauce. Add some of the starchy pasta cooking liquid to help pull the sauce together. If you didn’t make the pasta fresh, simply use a splash of water.

Add grated Parmesan for a savory, creamy finish. Grated Parmesan adds savory flavor and melts quickly into the pasta to create a creamy finish.

Side Dishes with Pasta

Serve broccoli pasta with side dishes like garlic bread, salads and sauteed or roasted vegetables.

Try making Melissa’s Crusty Parmesan Bread, Cafe Green Salad, Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette, Caprese Tartlets or Tomato and Eggplant Tian.

Best Pasta Dishes to Make at Home

Pasta with broccoli is one of the easiest homemade pasta dish recipes, but some of Melissa’s other top-rated pasta recipes include Lemony Shrimp Scampi Pasta, Tossed Angel Hair Pasta, Sausage and Roasted Vegetable Penne and Garlic Spaghetti.

Best Olive Oil for Pasta

Melissa reaches for extra-virgin olive oil to make the garlic-infused oil for her pasta with broccoli recipe. Extra-virgin olive oil is unrefined, meaning it’s never been heated or processed with chemicals, so it is the best quality, most flavorful and most expensive type of olive oil. Extra-virgin olive oil has a rich, grassy color and peppery flavor that makes it ideal for infused oils, dipping and drizzling. For more info, check out our story What is Extra-Virgin Olive Oil?