Broccoli Spaghetti

Submitted by steve in FL

"I got this from an Italian co-worker after having it at a work pot-luck. The flavor is really intense, and this can be served as either a side-dish or a meatless meal-in-itself. You can really use any type of pasta you prefer, I first had it with spaghetti, so that's always my preference. Really easy recipe. Edited: Psst.. please use real garlic, not the chopped stuff in the jar.. I repeat - use FRESH GARLIC, not the stuff in the jar, else you will be doomed to a bland result with no flavor. If made as directed, you will have a robustly flavorful pasta dish!"

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 4-8

ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh broccoli
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper (I like more!)
• 1 cup water
• salt, to taste
• 8 ounces spaghetti, cooked
• 4 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)

directions

1. Chop the broccoli fine and add it to a sauce pan.
2. Add garlic, olive oil, pepper and the water and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
4. Break up the broccoli as it cooks so that the end result is a mushy, slightly chunky green sauce.
5. You may need to add more water or oil to keep it at a 'wet', pourable consistency if the liquid evaporates too quickly. You basically want it to be the thickness of a tomato pasta sauce. Add salt to taste; I only add the salt at the end, because if you do so earlier on, the saltiness may become more intense when the mixture reduces.
6. Serve over cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with parm if desired.

Reviews

[shhthisisjanelle]

This made for a great summertime pasta sauce! I enjoyed it a lot, though I can't say I followed the recipe closely. Instead, I used more black pepper, as suggested, and added a chicken bouillon cube and healthy sprinkling of garlic powder. Because of the amount of garlic I used and bouillon, I omitted salt. I also kept it rather chunky, more the consistency of a salsa than a sauce. Parmesan was good, but not needed for a full flavor. Definitely, definitely adding this to my repertoire.

 

[L. Ewing]

Just didn't care for it. Nothing outstanding, but was able to use up the broccoli I had in my refrig!

 

[Denise!]

This dish was okay, but seems to be missing something. An addition of chicken stock or red pepper flakes might improve the flavor.

 

[Quest4ZBest]

I made this as a side dish to some baked fish, and maybe it was me, but I thought this was kind of bland!I'm normally very picky about not overcooking my brocolli, but I thought I'd give it a try. Maybe if the broccoli was just cooked until tender? I didn't have the parmesan cheese, and I used preminced canned garlic (which I know isn't as intense), so maybe that would make a difference. Overall I was hoping for something a little better!

 

[Sue Shef]

I was making lasagna for our card club and needed a vegetarian meal for one of the girls. Found this and it sounded real good. It is absolutely delicious. Thanks Steve for a great recipe. Its a keeper. Will be making this again and not just for the vegetarians......Sue