Quick and Easy Cavatelli and Broccoli Pasta
A quick and easy weeknight dinner that comes together in under 20 minutes and only uses a handful of ingredients. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. Few ingredients but maximum flavor. It might not look like much, but the ingredients work really well together and result in a well-rounded, fresh and flavorful dish. It’s minimalism at its best.
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, prep the veggies: Peel the onion and garlic. Finely dice the onion and thinly slice the garlic cloves. Cut the broccoli florets off the stalks and divide them into similar sized chunks. This ensures even cooking. Peel the outer layer of the broccoli stalks and remove the dried out ends and any tough or browned parts. Then cut the stems into small dices.
Step 2
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onions and anchovy fillets. Break the anchovies up with the back of a spoon until they dissolve and melt into the onions. Once the water is boiling, add a generous amount of salt and cook the broccoli until fork tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and chili flakes to the pan and briefly sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Don’t let the garlic brown, or it will become bitter. Once the broccoli is tender, use a slotted spoon to drain it and transfer it directly to the pan.
Step 3
Let the cooking water come back up to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions or around 2 – 3 minutes for homemade cavatelli until tender but firm with a little bite to it. When the pasta is done, drain it with a slotted spoon and transfer it to the pan. Add a splash of pasta water, the butter and grated parmesan cheese. Let it melt into the sauce. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Toss the pasta until evenly coated with sauce. If it seems a bit dry, you can add more pasta water to loosen it up. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
Other Pasta Recipes You May Like:
Quick and Easy Cavatelli and Broccoli Pasta
Equipment
- Frying pan – large enough to toss and evenly coat the pasta in the sauce
- Pot
- Slotted spoon – to drain the pasta and broccoli
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 450 g Homemade cavatelli pasta OR 300 g dried pasta – NOTE: For homemade cavatelli you need 300 g of semolina flour and 150 g of warm water
For the sauce:
- 2 tbsp Olive oil – this is a big flavor component in this recipe, so make sure to use high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 Onion – yellow or white onion, diced
- 4 Garlic cloves – thinly sliced
- 3 Anchovy fillets in oil It’s the “secret” ingredient that really enhances the flavor of this dish
- Chili flakes or fresh chili peppers – optional, if you like to add a bit of heat.
- 1 Head of broccoli – florets and stems
- 1 Lemon – the juice of half a lemon
- 25 g Butter – for extra flavor and to make the sauce nice and creamy.
- 70 g Parmesan cheese – freshly grated
- Salt and pepper to taste – make sure to generously salt the cooking water. If the cooking water is abundantly salted, you might not have to add any additional salt to the sauce.
Instructions
- Optional: Follow the instructions to make homemade cavatelli or use store bought pasta.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, prep the veggies: Dice the onion and thinly slice the garlic cloves. Cut the broccoli florets off the stalks and divide them into similar sized chunks. Peel the outer layer of the broccoli stalks and remove the dried out ends and any tough or browned parts. Then cut the stems into small dices.
- In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onions and anchovy fillets. Break the anchovies up with the back of a spoon until they dissolve and melt into the onions. Once the water is boiling, add a generous amount of salt and cook the broccoli until fork tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and chili flakes to the pan and briefly sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Once the broccoli is tender, remove it from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer it directly to the pan.
- Let the cooking water come back up to a rolling boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions or 2 – 3 minutes for homemade cavatelli until tender but firm with a little bite to it. When the pasta is done, drain it with a slotted spoon and transfer it to the pan. Add a splash of pasta water, the butter and the grated parmesan cheese. Let it melt into the sauce. Lastly, add the fresh lemon juice. Toss the pasta until evenly coated with sauce. If it seems a bit dry, you can add more pasta water to loosen it up. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Simply delicious!!
Thanks a lot, Christa! I’m glad you liked it 🙂