Pasta with Broccoli & Mascarpone Recipe | Creamy Broccoli Pasta

This pasta recipe is perfect for vegetable skeptics as the tomato sauce, cheese and creamy mascarpone will win over even the pickiest eaters!

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Pasta con Broccoli e Mascarpone Recipe

Makes: 2 servings

Cook Time: 30 minutes

For this recipe, you will need:

• 1 large head of broccoli, trimmed into florets
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• ½ cup (120 milliliters) simple tomato sauce
• 7 ounces (200 grams) paccheri or rigatoni pasta
• Mascarpone, to taste (about 2 to 3 tablespoons)
• Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the broccoli florets and cook until tender, but not completely cooked—5 to 7 minutes. Drain the half-cooked broccoli and let cool, then roughly chop it into small pieces.

Meanwhile, put another pot of water on to boil and salt it generously. If you like, you can re-use the water from cooking the broccoli.

Heat the olive oil and garlic clove in a large pan over medium heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the broccoli, tomato sauce, and a pinch of salt. Ladle in a little bit of the hot water to thin the tomato sauce—there should be just enough liquid to maintain a simmer. Lower the heat, bring the sauce to a simmer, and let it cook while you boil the pasta.

When the pot of water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for 2 to 3 minutes less than the recommended “al dente” cook time. While the pasta boils, add more pasta water as needed into the broccoli sauce to keep it simmering. When the broccoli becomes very tender, remove and discard the garlic clove, then roughly mash some of the broccoli with a fork. As the sauce nears completion, salt it again to taste as needed.

Drain the cooked pasta with a slotted ladle and add it into the sauce, along with a heaping spoonful of mascarpone (or to taste). Spoon in a little more pasta water to help the mascarpone melt, and stir all together over medium-high heat until the sauce has thickened and the pasta is al dente to your taste. If the sauce thickens too quickly and the pasta needs more time to cook, you can always add a little more pasta water.

Turn off the heat and stir in a generous grating of pecorino cheese. Serve immediately, topped with some extra pecorino.

Buon appetito!