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Home / Recipes / Dinner / Pasta / One Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta

One Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta

30 mins
| Leave a Comment |
5 from 3 votes
Jump to Recipe 01/05/22 | Updated: 01/05/22 | by Nora
Broccoli Pasta Recipe Image Pin

This easy Broccoli Pasta comes out so creamy – and everything cooks in one single pot! Even the pasta cooks right in the sauce for an easy vegetarian dinner, or a quick side dish.

frontal close up view of wooden spoon in pot with creamy broccoli pasta

Another day, another new one pot pasta recipe!

If you can’t tell already, I absolutely love the concept of it: You add everything to one pot, the pasta cooks to perfection and at the same time a wonderfully creamy sauce forms right in the same pot or pan. No need to pre-cook the pasta in a separate pot, which means less clean-up and less work.

Here I’m sharing my favorite way to make a simple broccoli pasta: With a creamy, silky sauce and plenty of broccoli. It makes a great vegetarian dinner, but it’s also an easy way to make a vegetable and a starch side dish at the same time!

close up photo of fork with broccoli pasta

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients for broccoli pasta with text labels
Ingredients for Broccoli Pasta: Broccoli, small pasta shapes, milk, chicken or vegetable broth, cream cheese, white wine, garlic, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice.

Ingredient notes

  • Broccoli: I know it may seem like a LOT of broccoli, but I promise it works. If you want to use frozen broccoli, I very very highly recommend steaming it in the microwave and then adding it at the very end. Otherwise, the dish just doesn’t come out quite right; and frozen broccoli tends to get quite mushy in a one pot pasta.
  • Pasta: This recipe works best with smaller, short pasta shapes. Think Orecchiette, medium shells, large elbow macaroni (I think the correct term would be Pipe Rigate).
  • Milk: Feel free to use evaporated milk for a pantry-friendly ingredient swap, or half-and-half to make the dish a little richer. I used whole milk, 2% is also fine. Skim milk yields a thinner sauce.
  • Broth: Chicken or vegetable broth are both fine.
  • White wine: You can replace this with more broth if you don’t want to use alcohol. Use a dry white wine for cooking, not a sweet one.

How to make Broccoli Pasta

1. Cook the garlic in olive oil over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add the white wine and lemon zest and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

  • female hand pouring white wine into white skillet with garlic
    cook garlic, then add wine and lemon zest

2. Add the broth, milk and seasoning and bring to a boil.

Then, stir through the pasta and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring often to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the dish.

  • milk pouring from glass measuring jug into white pan with chicken broth
    add liquids and seasoning
  • pasta in white skillet with milk and seasoning
    stir in pasta

3. Stir the broccoli into the dish, then cover with a lid and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the lid, stir carefully and cook for one more minute until the pasta and broccoli are done. Take off the heat.

  • raw broccoli in white skillet with creamy pasta
    add broccoli, cook covered for 5 minutes

4. Take off the heat and stir through the cream cheese, parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Add a few splashes of milk if needed to create a creamy sauce.

  • parmesan cheese and cream cheese in skillet with cooked broccoli and pasta
    stir through cheeses and lemon juice

I highly recommend to serve the pasta immediately, that’s when it is the creamiest.

  • white skillet with broccoli pasta and wooden spoon
    serve immediately

Recipe tips

  • Pan: I highly recommend using a wide sauté pan for this recipe (mine holds about 3.7 quart if you need a size reference). It’s much easier to get everything cooked evenly over using a standard pot.
  • Stirring: Make sure to stir the pasta often during the first 5 minutes of cooking, it tends to stick to the bottom and then you risk it burning.
  • Broccoli size: You want the broccoli chopped into florets, and then larger florets cut in half. Otherwise it will not cook in time.
  • Cooking time: My pasta indicates a cooking time of 8 minutes on the package (one pot pastas take about twice as long to cook vs boiling the pasta in water). If your pasta indicates a shorter cooking time, add the broccoli after just 5 minutes. If your pasta indicates a much longer cooking time, you may want to wait for 10 minutes before adding the broccoli.
  • Broccoli cooking time: Adding the broccoli for the last 5 minutes leaves the broccoli tender, but still with a bite. If you prefer very cooked, almost overdone broccoli for pasta, then add it 2-3 minutes earlier.

Tips for leftovers

If you have leftovers, place them in a casserole dish, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

To reheat, remove from the fridge, uncover and let sit on the counter for 15 minutes as your oven heats to 400°F.

Stir in ½ cup of milk, then sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the casserole is heated through and bubbly.

overhead view of broccoli pasta in white bowl

Serving ideas

If you want to round out your meal with a protein, here are some of our favorite ideas:

  • Oven Baked Chicken Breast or Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
  • Air Fryer Chicken Breast or Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
  • Stir 1 can of white beans through the pasta at the end, then heat through
  • Homemade Meatballs or Mozzarella Stuffed Meatloaf
  • Air Fryer Steak or Air Fryer Pork Chops
  • Instant Pot Chicken Thighs or Instant Pot Lemon Chicken
  • Garlic Butter Baked Salmon or Lemon Garlic Baked Cod
overhead view of sliced baked chicken breast and broccoli pasta on white plate

More one pot pasta recipes

  • One Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta
  • One Pot Pea and Bacon Pasta
  • One Pot Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
  • One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
  • Creamy One Pot Asparagus Pasta
  • One Pot Rigatoni Bolognese

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

Printable Recipe Card
frontal close up view of wooden spoon in pot with creamy broccoli pasta
Save Recipe Saved!

One Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta

This easy Broccoli Pasta comes out so creamy – and everything cooks in one single pot! Even the pasta cooks right in the sauce.
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
5 from 3 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 10 mins
Cook 20 mins
Total 30 mins
Servings 4 servings
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ⅓ cup dry white wine OR more broth
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 2 cups chicken broth OR vegetable broth
  • 1.5 cups whole milk OR evaporated milk OR half and half
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 (8-oz) box small pasta shapes uncooked
  • 4 cups chopped broccoli
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons cream cheese or more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Cook garlic: Heat oil in large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add wine and lemon: Stir in white wine and lemon zest, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Simmer 2-3 minutes, until reduced by half.
  • Cook pasta: Stir in chicken broth, milk, Italian seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder. Season with salt. Bring to a boil, then add pasta. Reduce heat to a strong simmer and cook pasta 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently to keep pasta from sticking together.
  • Add broccoli: Stir through broccoli, cover pan with a lid and cook for 4-5 more minutes, until broccoli and pasta are very nearly done. Remove lid and simmer for one more minute.
  • Finish dish: Once done, take pan off the heat. Stir through parmesan, cream cheese and lemon juice. Season with salt (if needed) and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
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Notes

  • Broccoli: You want the broccoli chopped into florets, and then larger florets cut in half. Otherwise it will not cook in time. If you want to use frozen broccoli, I very very highly recommend steaming it in the microwave and then adding it at the very end.
  • Pasta: This recipe works best with smaller, short pasta shapes. Think Orecchiette, medium shells, large elbow macaroni (I think the correct term would be Pipe Rigate).
  • Pan: I highly recommend using a wide sauté pan for this recipe (mine holds about 3.7 quart if you need a size reference).
  • Cooking time: My pasta indicates a cooking time of 8 minutes on the package (one pot pastas take about twice as long to cook vs boiling the pasta in water). If your pasta indicates a shorter cooking time, add the broccoli after just 5 minutes. If your pasta indicates a much longer cooking time, you may want to wait for 10 minutes before adding the broccoli.
  • Broccoli cooking time: Adding the broccoli for the last 5 minutes leaves the broccoli tender, but still with a bite. If you prefer very cooked, almost overdone broccoli for pasta, then add it 2-3 minutes earlier.
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

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