Italian-style whole broccoli pasta

Name: Italian-style whole broccoli pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Salt and black pepper; 1 whole broccoli (350g), or turnip tops or other greens; 30ml extra-virgin olive oil; 375g pasta (I used wholewheat); 25g capers drained or rinsed, and dried (optional); 2 small garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped; 0.5 lemon zest and juice; Grated parmesan or pecorino, to serve, or pangrattato (toasted breadcrumbs), to taste; Chilli flakes to taste

Instructions

This is Italian simplicity at its best. The whole broccoli is cooked until it’s soft, so it breaks down into a delicious sauce that coats the pasta. In its simplest form, with just olive oil, broccoli and pasta, when seasoned generously, it makes a three-ingredient dish that’s delicious just as it is, but to take it up a notch add a few capers (the ones packed in sea salt rather than brine have an even more exceptional flavour), garlic, lemon, chilli flakes and pangrattato (toasted breadcrumbs) or parmesan. It also costs about £1 a portion even when made using organic ingredients, so it’s a firm family favourite in our house

Updated at: Sat, 19 Apr 2025 08:34:12 GMT