Lower Fat Creamy Pasta and Broccoli

Serving Size: 10

This creamy pasta and broccoli recipe is a kid-friendly vegetarian dish that is lower fat than other creamy pasta dishes! It does not contain any cream, is low in fat, and perfect as a family dinner. Serves 10 as a side dish, and 6-8 as a main vegetarian dish.

Recipe by: Monika Dabrowski

Cook Times

Active Prep10

Hands-On Cook10

Hands-Off Cook10

Passive0

Total Time30

Recipe Serving Size10

Cooking Tools Required

5-quart saucepot, Blender, Cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons, Mixing bowls, Mixing spoon, Saucepan, Sharp Knives

Ingredients

16 ounce fusilli pasta cook per instructions, reserve 1 cups pasta water
32 ounce broccoli
5 clove garlic finely chopped
3 tablespoon butter
2.5 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3.75 cup 2% milk for 10 servings 900 ml
0.75 cup parmesan cheese grated, for 10 servings 100 g
0.75 cup ricotta cheese for 10 servings 70 g
5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Boil the pasta in salted water as per packet instructions. Meanwhile prepare the broccoli. Cut the stem, then place it on one end on top of a cutting board. Remove the tough outer layer by cutting downwards all the way around. Roughly chop the stem along with the florets.
Make broccoli rice by pulsing the chopped broccoli for a few seconds until it starts forming a crumbly mixture (don't overblend and turn it into a paste). It's best to do this in batches to get even crumbs.
In a large pan heat up the oil, add the garlic and broccoli, season and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until softened stirring all the time. Remove from the heat and transfer into a large bowl.
To make the sauce heat up the butter, add the flour and whisk until the mixture becomes thick and smooth. Add the milk, increase the heat and cook stirring with a whisk until the sauce thickens and starts bubbling up. Lower the heat then simmer for 1 minute whisking all the time.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the parmesan and ricotta until smooth. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
Stir in the pasta, broccoli, add a splash of pasta water and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve immediately.

Notes

Use the florets as well as the stem of the broccoli.
Do not overblend the broccoli. Unless you have a very large blender I recommend pulsing the broccoli in 2 batches.
You can make the broccoli rice by simply chopping the broccoli quite finely, but this will take longer to do.
Cooking the broccoli for 5 minutes should be enough if you like your broccoli al dente, slightly crunchy, but you can cook it longer if you prefer. Try not to overcook it though as it might lose its bright green colour and become too soft.
Use fusilli, penne, macaroni, farfalle, tagliatelle or spaghetti. Reserve the water from cooking the pasta to add into the sauce if needed.
Delicious served as is but you can also enjoy it with chopped parsley or basil, fried garlic for an extra garlicky finish or parmesan shavings.
Best served immediately. You may have to add a splash of water or milk and adjust the seasoning when reheating the pasta.
Not suitable for freezing.

Reheating Instructions

Not suitable for freezing. Best served immediately. You may have to add a splash of water or milk and adjust the seasoning when reheating the pasta. Delicious served as is but you can also enjoy it with chopped parsley or basil, fried garlic for an extra garlicky finish or parmesan shavings.

Nutrition