Easy Creamy Broccoli Pasta

Pasta with broccoli in bowl garnished with sliced green onions.

An easy Creamy Broccoli Pasta bathed in a luscious white sauce infused with lots garlic, leek and broccoli. This is the ultimate weeknight family dinner!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword broccoli, creamy pasta, white sauce

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings serves

Calories 767kcal

Author Samantha Pickthall

Ingredients

Pasta

16 oz (450g) rotini pasta, or spiral pasta
3 cups broccoli florets, cut into small florets

Cooked Leek

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup thinly sliced leek, 1 stalk trimmed and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

White Sauce

50 g unsalted butter
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to season
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 stalk green onion, thinly sliced, to garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pasta

First cut the broccoli into small florets and set aside. Cut them small as they’ll cook faster. *Read the next step from start to finish as you’ll be adding the broccoli towards the end of the pasta cooking time.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the salt and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, I cook the rotini for 9 minutes. With 2 minutes remaining, add the broccoli florets to boiling water and pasta.
Once pasta is al dente (firm to the bite) and the broccoli is fork tender, drain off the water through a colander and keep the pasta/broccoli in the colander. Set aside.

Cooked Leek

In a large deep skillet, melt the 1 tablespoon of butter over low-medium heat.
Add sliced leek and gently sauté over low-medium heat for 4 minutes until it’s soft and translucent. Do not cook too fast or it will burn.
Stir through minced garlic and sauté for a further 1 minute on low-medium heat.
Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
Use the same skillet to make white sauce, no need to clean it.

White Sauce

To the skillet, add the butter and melt over low-medium heat.
Once melted, whisk through the flour.
Increase heat to medium and once gently simmering, cook for 1 minute, while whisking.
Pour milk in a slow and steady stream while whisking it through, over medium heat. 
Continue to cook and whisk over medium-high heat until it thickens, do not let it boil or simmer, it will thicken before it reaches a bubble.
Once thickened, reduce heat to low. 
Whisk through ground nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir through the cooked leek and garlic mixture along with the parmesan cheese.
Check your pasta and broccoli, if it’s stuck together, run the colander under hot water to separate.
Add cooked pasta and broccoli to the white sauce and gently mix to combine. Increase the heat to medium if needed to properly heat it through.
Serve with extra parmesan cheese and sliced green onions.
Enjoy!

Notes

Make it gluten-free: By using a gluten-free rotini/spiral pasta. Gluten-free versions typically come in smaller weight packets, this ok, it will still work.

Make it dairy-free: By using dairy-free butter or coconut oil along with dairy-free milk such as almond milk and cheese. Nutritional yeast is great here too.

Store leftovers: In an airtight container, refrigerated, for 1-3 days.

Reheat: In a saucepan over low-medium heat, add additional milk to prevent sticking and to keep it creamy. The texture of the pasta will change upon reheating but will retain its flavor.

Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this pasta as the creamy texture will be compromised and may separate or become grainy upon reheating.

Nutrition