This easy, cheesy broccoli pasta dish is the perfect weeknight dinner! It requires minimal prep work, and the whole thing can be on your dinner table in 20 minutes! So, grab your broccoli, shells (medium, please!), shredded asiago, and just a few other pantry staples, and let's get started.
Easy asiago and broccoli shells
This recipe was created on one of those "what am I going to have for dinner?" vs. "what do I need to use up in the fridge?" nights. I knew I had a head of broccoli and a bunch of asiago to use up (and if you want to get me to eat a vegetable, all you have to do is mix it with pasta and I'm sold!)
So creating an asiago and broccoli shells recipe was an obvious choice.
And while I may have first made it to make sure my broccoli didn't go to waste, I now go out of my way to buy broccoli just for this recipe.
Once you see how easy this broccoli pasta is to make and you combine that with it being utterly delicious, I think this will become a staple in your home, too.
Broccoli, shells, and what else?
Okay, so here's what you'll need if you want to try this magical vegetarian pasta dish for yourself:
- Fresh broccoli. For this recipe we're just using the head of the broccoli, AKA the crumbly green bits!
- Medium pasta shells. These work best for this recipe because the shells hold a bit of the broccoli and sauce just perfectly.
- Shredded asiago cheese (parmesan will work too)
- Olive oil
- Minced garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Diced red onion (optional but I personally love what it adds to the dish!)
- Salt and pepper!
- A little bit of reserved pasta water. You can learn more about saving pasta water from the cooking queen Rachael Ray right here.
By the way, if you have even more broccoli to use up, please try this broccoli cheddar hash brown casserole!
Instructions
Jump to RecipeNow the fun part is putting it all together.
Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking your pasta shells.
While the water comes to a boil, chop your broccoli bits (into small pieces since they're not cooking for long), mince your garlic, and chop your red onion if you're using it.
Cook your medium shells in the salted water (most medium shells call for about 8 minutes of cooking, but check your specific package first). It's important not to forget to salt the water since we're going to use a bit of it for the pasta sauce later on.
While your pasta is cooking, add the olive oil, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic to a large sauce pan on medium-low heat. Stir gently, and let it cook for at least five minutes. This allows the oil to get infused with some of the garlic and spice flavors!
When there's just a few minutes left for the pasta to cook, add your chopped broccoli bits (and red onion, if using) and salt and pepper (to taste) to the olive oil mixture. Stir well and turn the heat to medium.
Before you drain your pasta, reserve three tablespoons of the salty pasta water and set aside.
Once you've drained the pasta, add it to the broccoli mixture and stir well. Then, add the reserved pasta water and the shredded asiago and stir for at least another minute, until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the cheese is melted.
I like to serve mine topped with a bit more asiago, red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper.
Variations
I've made my broccoli pasta recipe over ten times now, and I sometimes like to switch things up a little depending what I have on hand.
One thing I love to do is add some diced LightLife bacon to the mix. So far, it's my favorite of all the veggie bacons I've tried.
You can also add any other vegetables you like (mushrooms would be great!), or play around with other spices, etc.
Asiago and Broccoli Shells Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups medium shells measured uncooked, about 180 grams of pasta
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3-5 cloves garlic, minced to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more for serving if desired
- 1.5 cups finely chopped broccoli just the ends (the crumbly green bits)
- 3 tablespoon reserved pasta water make sure there's salt in your pasta water
- ¾ cup asiago, shredded parmesan can work too
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional
- diced red onion adding a small handful along with the broccoli is optional but so delicious
Instructions
- Cook your medium shells according to package directions in a large pot of salted water. While the water comes to a boil, chop your broccoli bits (into small pieces since they're not cooking for long), mince your garlic, and chop your red onion if you're using it.
- While your pasta is cooking, add the olive oil, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic to a large sauce pan on medium-low heat. Stir gently, and let it cook for at least five minutes.
- When there's just a few minutes left for the pasta to cook, add your chopped broccoli bits (and red onion, if using) and salt and pepper (to taste) to the olive oil mixture. Stir well and turn the heat to medium.
- Before you drain your pasta, reserve three tablespoons of the salty pasta water and set aside.Once you've drained the pasta, add it to the broccoli mixture and stir well. Then, add the reserved pasta water and the shredded asiago and stir for at least another minute, until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the cheese is melted. I serve mine topped with a bit more asiago, red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper. Sometimes I'll add an extra splash of olive oil too. Dig in and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Eeee, I can't wait to hear what you think of my broccoli shells recipe! Please keep me posted.
XO - C
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