Recipe Background
What better way to eat your greens than with Creamy Broccoli Pasta? The broccoli is tender and fresh, providing a beautiful contrast to the richness of the aromatically seasoned and lemon-accented sauce. A touch of parmesan and a crunchy, buttery breadcrumb topping makes Creamy Broccoli Pasta a dish with true pizzazz! Amazing for something made in half an hour!
What better way to eat your greens than with Creamy Broccoli Pasta? The broccoli is tender and fresh, providing a beautiful contrast to the richness of the aromatically seasoned and lemon-accented sauce. A touch of parmesan and a crunchy, buttery breadcrumb topping makes Creamy Broccoli Pasta a dish with true pizzazz! Amazing for something made in half an hour!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter divided
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 4 cups broccoli florets chopped
- 1 shallot diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, plus more, to taste, for serving
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Directions
- In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter.
- Add the panko to the melted butter and cook, while stirring occasionally, until toasted.
- Transfer the toasted panko to a bowl and set it aside.
- In a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the spaghetti and cook it until it is al dente, according to the package directions. In the last 2-3 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli and cook it until it is tender.
- Drain the spaghetti mixture.
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt the remaining butter.
- Add the shallots and the garlic to the melted butter and cook, while stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the flour to the shallot mixture and whisk to combine until the raw flour smell disappears, about 1 minute.
- While whisking the shallot mixture, slowly add the broth and continue to whisk until no lumps remain.
- Add the heavy cream, the Italian seasoning, the crushed red pepper flakes, and the lemon zest to the shallot mixture and stir to combine.
- Bring the sauce mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add 1 cup of the parmesan cheese to the sauce mixture and stir until the cheese is melted.
- Add the lemon juice to the sauce mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the spaghetti mixture to the sauce mixture and stir until well-coated.
- Transfer the pot from the heat.
- Season the spaghetti mixture with the salt and the black pepper.
- Serve topped with the toasted panko breadcrumbs and the extra parmesan.
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