This Creamy Broccoli Pasta Recipe is a quick and easy comfort meal that comes together in just about 30 minutes. The al dente pasta and crisp tender broccoli are coated in a creamy garlic, lemon, and Parmesan sauce that everyone will love.
If you’re looking for more creamy pasta recipes, you can also try our Lemon Ricotta Pasta, Chicken Tortellini, or this classic Spaghetti Carbonara.
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Creamy Broccoli Pasta Recipe
There’s nothing like a creamy pasta for dinner. Not only are there a million ways to serve this delicious comfort food, they are generally pretty quick and easy recipes to throw together.
This creamy broccoli and lemon pasta is definitely no exception. The sauce is made with cream cheese and chicken broth simmered with sauteed garlic and basic seasoning. It is then tossed with al dente pasta, crisp tender broccoli, Parmesan cheese, and fresh lemon juice.
You can swap out the chicken stock for veggie stock and make this completely vegetarian. Or, toss on some grilled or rotisserie chicken to add a little extra protein.
Key Ingredients
- Pasta - for a creamy pasta dish like this, just about any kind of pasta shape will work well. Some of my favorites are cavatappi, penne, and mostaccioli.
- Broccoli - cut the broccoli florets into similarly sized pieces so that they cook about the same. If you like your cooked broccoli on the firm side, add it with just about 2-3 minutes left of the pasta cooking time. Frozen broccoli will work in a pinch—just thaw it first and add it in about 1-2 minutes before the pasta has finished cooking.
- Cream Cheese - in order to make your sauce creamy, you need to have dairy-heavy ingredients like cream cheese! Full fat is my go-to but lite cream cheese would work. You could try subbing cottage cheese or even a little heavy cream.
- Broth - chicken broth has a little more richness, but if you want to make this recipe vegetarian you can use veggie broth instead. It helps thin down the sauce slightly without watering it down.
- Seasoning - I usually go pretty simple and just add a little Italian seasoning and some salt. Feel free to experiment here and make the sauce a little spicy, garlicky, or however you like it.
- Parmesan Cheese - once you have mixed the sauce with the pasta you can also add in the finely grated Parmesan cheese. It adds a little salty flavor and a tiny bit of texture.
- Lemon Juice - fresh lemon juice will round out all of the flavors and cut down on some of the richness just a little bit. If you love lemon flavor in your pasta, add a little fresh lemon zest, too.
How to Make Creamy Broccoli Pasta
- Cook the pasta and broccoli. In a large pot, cook pasta to al dente, according to package instructions. About 5 minutes before the pasta should be finished, add in the broccoli florets. Once cooked, reserve about ½ cup of pasta water and drain the rest.
- Make the creamy sauce. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the garlic until soft and translucent—about 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, cream cheese, and Italian seasoning and cook while whisking until the cream cheese is melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- Toss together. Add the creamy sauce and Parmesan cheese to the pasta and broccoli. Stir until combined, then add the remaining pasta water to thin the creamy sauce if needed. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
If there isn’t enough sauce compared to pasta, your pasta dish will be dry instead of creamy. One easy way to prevent this is to add only about ¾ of the pasta into the sauce to begin. If there is enough sauce left, then add in the rest of the pasta. You can also try thinning the sauce down a little by adding a little extra stock or some heavy cream.
Honestly, just about any size and shape of pasta will work for this dish. I like to use a medium sized pasta like cavatappi or penne. Shells, mostaccioli, or bowtie pasta would all work great, too.
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. Not only will the pasta become a little mushy after it is frozen and then thawed, the creamy sauce will never be as creamy as it was when it was fresh.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: add to a saucepan with a little extra chicken stock or heavy cream and reheat over medium heat. You can also reheat in the microwave.
Creamy Broccoli Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pasta Cavatappi, Penne, or your favorite
- 1 pound Broccoli Florets fresh or frozen
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese grated or shredded
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook pasta to al dente, according to package instructions. About 5 minutes before the pasta should be finished, add in the broccoli florets.
- Once the pasta and broccoli are cooked, remove from the heat. Save about ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain the rest.
- Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil and minced garlic. Cook until the garlic is soft and translucent—about 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, cream cheese, and Italian seasoning and cook while whisking until the cream cheese is melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- Add the creamy sauce and Parmesan cheese to the pasta and broccoli. Stir until combined, then add the remaining pasta water to thin the creamy sauce if needed. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Tuscan Orzo
- Tomato Feta Pasta
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Ground Beef Pasta Bake
- Taco Pasta
- Lemon Thyme Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Pesto Pasta
- More Pasta Recipes
- More Easy Dinner Ideas
This lemon broccoli pasta with creamy garlic sauce is a quick and easy comfort food that is guaranteed to be a hit. It takes just about 30 minutes to prepare and uses simple ingredients.
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