This Pasta with Cheese and Broccoli is a fast and simple dish to prepare. Your whole family will love it—and it's healthy!
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What better way to get your kids to eat their vegetables than by serving them alongside cheese and pasta? Adults and kids alike will love this delicious comfort-food dish. The broccoli is simply there to add a bit more nutrition to this classic favorite.
This pasta makes for a great main dish. Serve it along with a refreshing, zesty salad when you're feeling healthy or some tasty rolls when you're really going for that comfort-food feel.
How to Make Pasta with Cheese and Broccoli
- Wash, cut, and blanche broccoli.
- Cook pasta.
- In a saucepan on the stove, mix together sauce base.
- Add broccoli, nutmeg, and pasta water to sauce.
- Pour drained pasta into cheese sauce.
- Top with parmesan cheese and serve!
Full directions for how to make Pasta with Cheese and Broccoli are in the printable recipe card below.
Variations to Pasta with Cheese and Broccoli
Make It Vegan
You can easily make this pasta dish vegan by subbing the cheese for dairy-free versions. You can also add diced tofu to add a bit more protein to your dish.
Make It Crunchy
For a crunchy addition to this pasta dish, you can also sprinkle crushed nuts like cashews or hazelnuts on top. Panko breadcrumbs are also a nice crunchy option.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups broccoli cut into bunches and stems
- 300 g fettuccine pasta
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp white flour all-purpose
- 1 ⅓ cup milk
- ⅔ cup cheddar cheese
- 1 pinch nutmeg grated
- ½ cup cooking water from pasta
- 1 pinch salt
- pepper to taste
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the broccoli: Wash and separate the bouquets. Peel and remove the fibrous part of the stems and cut them into small pieces. Add them to boiling water for 3–4 min, drain, and keep warm.
- Cook pasta as directed on the package.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Gradually add milk while whisking. Bring to a boil, then add the grated cheese while stirring until smooth.
- Add the broccoli and nutmeg to cheese mixture. Salt and pepper to your taste. You can also extend the sauce with a few spoonfuls of pasta cooking water.
- Pour the drained pasta into the saucepan with the broccoli and cheese. Mix well.
- Sprinkle pasta with parmesan cheese and serve.
Jorge says
You had me at "fast and simple"! I tend to be lazy with my cooking so recipes that are effortless tend to be my favorite
P.S. I LOVE PASTA!