Creamy Broccoli, Garlic and Lemon Pasta
Eat your greens! (but make it pasta)
Two pasta posts in a row? I would apologise, but I’m not sorry. I’ve got an easy weeknight meal for you in the form of a bowl of zesty, creamy, decadent pasta that can be made quickly and just so happens to contain an entire head of broccoli. What more can you ask for?
Broccoli is one of my favourite vegetables and it also keeps well in the fridge for quite some time. Ideal for these strange times when we are all trying to go to the supermarket as little as possible but want to keep ourselves well fed. You can have this on the table in 30 minutes or less and it’s a great way to add more green vegetables into your diet or use up older produce. I’ve used bucatini here but really any pasta you can currently get your hands on would work. Enjoy!
Creamy Broccoli, Garlic and Lemon Pasta
Ingredients:
- 1 head of broccoli
- 1 lemon - juice and zest
- 4 tbsp cream cheese
- 6 cloves of garlic
- bucatini pasta (or another long pasta)
- chopped chives
- chilli flakes (optional)
Instructions:
How to cook Creamy Broccoli, Garlic and Lemon Pasta
- Remove the tough, thicker bottom stem of the brocolli (but keep the smaller stems) and peel the garlic cloves.
- Zest and juice the lemon and keep aside for later.
- Pulse the garlic and broccoli in a food processor until finely diced. If you don't have a food processor, chop the broccoli into small pieces and crush the garlic cloves.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil ready for your pasta.
- In another pot, pour a generous glug of olive oil, then add the diced garlic and broccoli.
- Cook on medium heat until softened, then add in the lemon juice and cream cheese plus the chilli flakes if you are using them.
- Cook your pasta to al dente according to the package directions, then add the pasta to the pan with the rest of the ingredients to finish cooking.
- Add some of the salted pasta water to loosen the sauce and cook on low-medium heat, tossing the pasta until the sauce thickens and evenly coats it.
- Taste and season with black pepper and more salt if needed.
- Serve and top with chives and the reserved lemon zest.
