Broccoli Siciliano

Submitted by Roxygirl in Colorado

"This has been a comfort dish for me for years. Different from the broccoli side dishes that call for cream soup (I love them, too!), this one has a buttery Parmesan sauce that goes great with the broccoli. The oregano is the secret ingredient that makes this dish. This can also makes a satisfying meatless entree. Note: this can be a terrific main dish using rigatoni noodles."

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 2 lbs broccoli florets (fresh)
• 1⁄2 lb small shell pasta
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms
• 1 cup tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1⁄2 cup butter (you can decrease to 1/4 cup if desired)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper

directions

1. Boil pasta in salted water to cover about 5 minutes and add the broccoli for the last couple minutes(I like my broccoli in this dish cooked until almost mushy).
2. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
3. Drain off about TWO THIRDS of the water (Keep the rest, about 1/2-1 cup, since this makes the sauce. I recommend using the first 1/2 and see if it's the desired consistency, and if more liquid is needed, add the other half cup).
4. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, and parmesan, oregano, butter, salt and pepper.
5. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until blended.
6. Makes 6 side dish servings.
7. Note: you can double this recipe.

Reviews

[Dagny Taggart]

This was so good! I didn't really have a lot of stuff to cook with and was determined to make a meal out of bow tie pasta and broccoli. I found this recipe and tried it without the tomato and mushrooms, but added a little bit of rosemary and some minced garlic. This was such a good dinner put together with foods I usually have on-hand. My husband and I both loved it and will definitely be having it again. Thank you for sharing.

 

[a_olson82]

this was nice and simple, i ommited the mushrooms and subbed red peppers, though i overcooked the pasta which kindof spoiled everything. :( live and learn.

 

[Country Cook in Okl]

I made this today. I had just finished when my daughter dropped by, the first thing she said when she saw the dish was "this should be called Christmas Pasta with the beautiful red and green colors". This was not only pretty but very tasty. We all loved it!! Thanks for posting.

 

[Leslie in Texas]

Wonderful sidedish with a great combination of flavors! Followed the recipe except for using only 1/4 cup of light butter( counting calories!)and I saved 1 cup of the cooking liquid for the sauce. This went very well with our grilled pork tenderlion chops and garlic bread- everyone belonged to the "clean plate club" last night! Thanks for a recipe that I'll make often, Roxygirl!

 

[hollyberry]

I'm always looking for something different and exciting to serve our vegetarian friends. I tried this for dinner tonight and found it to be just that! I cooked 2 cups of large first, and a head of broccoli second because I was nervous about overcooking one for the sake of the other. I then drained the water so I could measure it. I only used 1/4 cup of butter because I have to count calories, but I didn't hold back on the parmesan. Taking PrincessMommy's advice, I used about a tablespoon of lemon juice and enjoyed this addition. Here's an unusual thing for me - (I love sauce), I didn't keep any of the water. Instead, I left the seeds in my tomatoes and found this made the dish plenty moist (laziness was my true motivation). The point of the matter - this was delightful. Thanks Roxygirl!