Use whole wheat pasta if you’re after Mediterranean diet meals.
Pasta night is a big deal at my house, and if it were up to my girls, every night would be pasta night! Some favorites include this Mediterranean olive oil pasta; turkey lasagna soup; or whatever kind of pasta tossed with a bit of my easy bolognese. On special occasions, when we’re really feeling comfort food, we go for Greek Pastitsio This simple and light bean and broccoli pasta is the latest addition, and the family completely approves! This broccoli pasta is my kinda of no-fuss dinner. It uses such simple ingredients–pasta, beans, and broccoli–and in place of the usual sauce, a little Greek extra virgin olive oil. But as simple and light as this pasta and broccoli recipe is, it hits all the right flavor notes for me–thanks to a few flavor makers, including garlic, oregano, za’atar, and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan. Let me tell you more about it…
Bean and Broccoli Pasta with a Mediterranean Twist!
Three star ingredients make this simple vegetarian pasta dinner: pasta, broccoli, and white beans. Pasta sauce? Not this time. Here we rely on quality extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek EVOO) to make a light sauce with a bit of onions and fresh minced garlic. A few flavor makers complete this dish. Really, once you’ve added things like garlic, onion, oregano (ooh, and za’atar), plus, fresh parsley, and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan, you have yourself a light and tasty broccoli pasta that’s bursting with flavor. You won’t miss the sauce, I promise!
Ingredients for this Pasta and Broccoli:
Here’s what you’ll need to make this broccoli white bean pasta… – Pasta: A smaller cut of pasta works well here. I used elbow macaroni, but any short cut pasta will work. And if you’re following a strict Mediterranean diet, be sure to use whole wheat pasta. – Broccoli: For a shortcut here, I use frozen broccoli, but make sure it is fully thawed. Since, before it is frozen, broccoli is typically blanched in boiling water, it is already precooked and ready to use. But you can use fresh broccoli as well in this recipe (I’ll share more about how to use it later.) – White beans: The beans here are my way of sneaking in a bit of plant-based protein. They really augment this pasta dish, making it more hearty and satisfying. You can use any white beans you like. I typically use cannellini beans, which are of Italian origin. I love their fluffy, creamy texture and slight nutty flavor here. – Light sauce with extra virgin olive oil: The start of the sauce is extra virgin olive oil with a bit of onions that are cooked till fragrant and translucent. From there, we add fresh minced garlic along with oregano, a little Aleppo pepper (a warm, sweeter pepper), and a pinch of red pepper flakes for subtle heat. – A few finishing touches: To me this pasta and broccoli dinner is complete with a few important finishing touches–chopped fresh parsley, a big pinch of za’atar (which is a favorite Mediterranean mixture of wild thyme and toasted sesame seeds), and, of course, a good sprinkle of grated Parmesan. Toasted pine nuts are added for flavor and texture. If you don’t have them, you can use toasted slivered almonds instead.
How to Make this Pasta and Broccoli Recipe
This broccoli pasta takes a few easy steps to make, and they begin with cooking the pasta. Here is how to make it:
- Cook the pasta in boiling water with a pinch of salt till al dente (about 9 minutes or so). Drain, but keep about 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Make the olive oil-based sauce. Heat extra virgin olive oil until shimmering but not smoking. Add in the onions and cook till nice and translucent. From there, amp up the flavor! Add garlic, oregano, Aleppo pepper, and crushed pepper flakes. Stir till fragrant.
- Add in broccoli and white beans. Throw thawed broccoli in the sauce, and toss around for a few minutes (about 4 minutes or so.) Add in the white beans to warm up for about 3 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked pasta with a bit of pasta cooking water. It’s all coming together at this point! Add cooked pasta and about 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water. Toss well to combine everything together.
- Add the final flavor makers! Add a good pinch of za’atar, fresh parsley, and grated Parmesan. Toss to make sure all is well combined and pasta is well-coated (you may need to add a little bit more of the pasta water or maybe a drizzle more extra virgin olive oil to help the pasta take on the flavors!) Test and adjust seasoning to your liking.
- Serve! Transfer to pasta bowls and, if you like, add some toasted pine nuts or toasted slivered almonds. Always a good idea to have a bit of crushed peppers and grated Parmesan cheese on the side for everyone to add as needed. Enjoy! Darn! This humble broccoli pasta is sounding so grand right now, eh?
How to cook broccoli for pasta?
I used frozen broccoli in this recipe, as you see. But you can absolutely use fresh broccoli in this recipe, and you’ll be able to cook it right with the pasta in the cooking water! Here is what you do to cook it:
- Trim the broccoli and cut into florets.
- If you like your broccoli more on the done side, cook it along with the pasta at the same time (the entire 9 minutes or so that the pasta cooks).
- If you like your broccoli to soften just a bit but still keep it’s bite, then a quick blanch in the pasta water should be enough. Add the broccoli florets to the cooking pasta water during the last minute or 2 of cooking. When pasta is ready, drain both the pasta and broccoli together in a colander and follow the recipe from there.
What to Serve Along?
This broccoli pasta makes a great meatless dinner for 4, or you can serve smaller portions for lunch. I always like to add a bright salad next to my pasta dinners. You’ll find lots of salad ideas here. Love broccoli? And if you love broccoli, try this amazing crispy oven roasted broccoli! Browse our vegetarian recipes collection for more meatless ideas! For all recipes, visit us here. And be sure to view our collection of Mediterranean diet recipes. NEVER MISS A RECIPE! JOIN MY FREE E-MAIL LIST HERE. SHOP OUR ONLINE STORE FOR QUALITY OLIVE OILS, ALL-NATURAL SPICES AND MORE. *This post recently appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in February 2018 and has been recently updated with new information for readers’ benefit. 4.7 from 35 reviews
