This easy broccoli pasta dinner cooks up in minutes and is bursting with flavor! Made with tender broccoli florets and penne in a light lemon olive oil sauce. So simple, but so scrumptious, and perfect for a weeknight!
I’ll be frank: I have a tendency to resist pasta dishes like this one. I’m a sauce kind of girl. I grew up in a family where spaghetti with red sauce was at least a weekly thing, and while we occasionally ventured out and tried a different type of sauce, we rarely went with something so minimalist as olive oil and lemon juice.
But you know what? I’ve always ordered olive oil pasta dishes at restaurants, and loved them. It’s time to start exploring this type of dish in my own kitchen.
The Magic Ingredients
I learned a few tricks for making simple, almost sauceless pasta taste amazing. First off: olive oil. Use plenty of it and make sure it’s good quality.
Also, garlic. Plenty of garlic! That almost always goes without saying though, right? If you’re one of those people who always throws extra garlic into a recipe, go for it. You won’t hurt my feelings. If you tend to cut back on the amount (why?), please don’t do it. I’ll know.
Lemon juice adds some zip to the sauce, and it goes great with broccoli.
How to Make Broccoli Pasta
It’s so easy! My secret trick, which isn’t really a secret anymore because I’ve used in about eight thousand recipes at this point: blanch the broccoli in the pasta water. Just throw it in about 30 seconds before the pasta is done cooking. This will get it to tenderize just the slightest bit, so it doesn’t end up tough and stringy.
Drain your broccoli and pasta together.
Now for the sauce. Heat up a generous amount of olive oil in a skillet. Add your and give it a brief sauté.
Next, add your pasta and broccoli, and some lemon juice. Sauté everything for just a minute or two, until piping hot.
Take your skillet off of the stove and season your pasta with some lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and, if you like, nutritional yeast. Add salt to taste.
Sprinkle your broccoli pasta with some fresh parsley or cilantro, and serve.
FAQ & Tips for Making Awesome Lemon Broccoli Pasta
- I’m oil free. Can I omit the oil? I don’t recommend it, as your pasta will probably come out dry. At most, I’d cut back by a tablespoon or two. If you’re absolutely opposed to oil, best go with a sauced pasta. I have lots of them (and most can easily be made oil-free).
- Can this recipe be made gluten-free? Yup! Just use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- What’s nutritional yeast and where can I find it? Nutritional yeast is a type of deactivated yeast that has a cheesy flavor to it. You can find it in the natural foods sections of many supermarkets, or at places like Whole Foods.
- Can I just leave the nutritional yeast out? You can! Or you can substitute your favorite vegan Parmesan cheese.
- Not a fan of broccoli? Try subbing another veggie. Cauliflower, kale, and asparagus are all good choices.
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Easy Lemon Broccoli Pasta
This easy broccoli pasta dinner cooks up in minutes and is bursting with flavor! Made with tender broccoli florets and penne in a light lemon olive oil sauce. So simple, but so scrumptious, and perfect for a weeknight!
- 10 ounces dried penne pasta
- 4 cups broccoli florets ((1 large or 2 small crowns))
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, (minced)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes ((optional))
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon salt, (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, (or to taste)
- Black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or basil
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
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Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions, setting the timer for your pasta to cook to al dente.
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When the pasta has 30 seconds of cook time remaining, stir in the broccoli.
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Cook the pasta and broccoli until the timer goes off (the broccoli should have turned bright green — if not, give it a few more seconds), then drain them together into a colander. Rinse briefly with cool water.
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Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and place it over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté it until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Stir in the pasta and broccoli. Toss well to coat with olive oil, and cook for 1-2 minutes, until heated throughout.
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Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, lemon zest, salt, red pepper flakes and pepper. Taste-test and adjust any seasonings to your liking.
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Sprinkle with parsley or basil.
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Divide onto plates and serve.
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