This simple yet delicious broccoli garlic pasta with parmesan, red pepper flakes and lemon is one of my go-to’s. It’s super flavorful and it doesn’t really require a lot of ingredients. It’s perfect for a quick and easy filling dinner! I used mafalda pasta because I love the shape but you could use whatever you have on hand to make this broccoli con pasta!

Broccoli Garlic Pasta with Parmesan, Red Pepper Flakes and Lemon

Growing up, broccoli garlic pasta was one of my favorite dishes. Fast forward to adulthood and it’s still one of my go-tos! It’s just one of those perfect comfort foods that’s beyond easy to make… especially after a long day.

All you need is pasta, a head of broccoli, some red pepper flakes, garlic, lemon, parmesan, butter and olive oil! Oh, and white wine – how could I forget that?! If you’re anything like me, you probably already have most of these ingredients on hand. 

As for the pasta shape, to be quite honest, I’ve never used mafalda before… but I’m obsessed with this shape! It’s long and lean like a linguini noodle but it’s ribbed on the sides which makes it look almost like a skinny lasagna noodle.

The curly edges really help keep all the tiny bits of broccoli, garlic, parm and red pepper flakes stuck to each noodle. And it’s so pretty!

I’ve actually been on the hunt for malfada since I first saw it on the internet about a year ago on some instagram page. I’ve never seen it at the grocery store, but finally found it on Amazon and then at Home Goods of all places! Lol.

But if you don’t have mafalda, no sweat. You could use a variety of pastas – anything from penne to bowties or even angel hair.

How to Make Simple Broccoli Garlic Pasta

This Garlic Broccoli con Pasta is one those easy recipes that’s always perfectly delicious.

To begin, boil water with plenty of salt. Cook mafalda pasta until al dente.

Meanwhile, add butter and olive oil to a large pot with a hefty pinch of red pepper flakes. Once it starts to sizzle, add broccoli, garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook until you the garlic is fragrant.

Stir it up and add white wine. Let the wine cook out for a few minutes then add the cooked pasta back in with a little more butter.

Add parmesan, lemon juice and lemon zest and stir. If the sauce is too thick, add pasta water, little by little, and stir until each noodle has a glossy finish.

To serve, top each bowl with a little bit more parmesan and some more red pepper flakes for garnish.

Pretty easy huh? And after just one bite, you’ll want it again and again!

Recipe: Broccoli Garlic Pasta with Parmesan, Red Pepper Flakes and Lemon

Print Recipe

4.5 from 12 votes

Broccoli and Garlic Pasta with Parmesan, Red Pepper Flakes + Lemon

This easy creamy pasta dish with garlic, broccoli, parmesan and red pepper flakes tastes complicated but is super easy to make!

Cook Time30 mins

Course: pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: broccoli, garlic, lemon, mafalda, parmesan, pasta, red pepper flakes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb malfada pasta water reserved
• 4 tbsp salted butter divided
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 large head of broccoli finely chopped
• 10 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1/2 cup white wine
• The zest from 1 lemon
• The juice from 1 lemon
• 2 cups parmesan cheese divided

Instructions

• Boil pasta in heavily salted water according to directions. Drain and reserve at least two cups of pasta water
• Meanwhile, add 2 tbsp salted butter, 2 tbsp olive oil and red pepper flakes to a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the butter has dissolved and the red pepper flakes are beginning to sizzle. Immediately add broccoli, garlic and a pinch of salt then stir until everything’s mixed together. Add white wine and let it cook for another 3 minutes.
• Add al dente pasta to the broccoli pot and add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1 cup parmesan cheese and stir. Add pasta water, little by little, and keep stirring until each noodle has a glossy finish and is coated with the broccoli mixture.
• To plate, add pasta then top with more parmesan cheese and another pinch of red pepper flakes.

If you like this garlic broccoli con pasta recipe, you might also like one of these similar recipes:

Alpine Style Mac n Cheese with Bacon and Caramelized Onions – This dish might just be the exact opposite of the broccoli garlic pasta above, but that doesn’t mean you won’t love it! My easy-to-make rich and creamy gruyere cheese sauce will have you licking the bowl for more!

Gorgonzola Cheesy Garlic Bread – This cheesy garlic bread would make a perfect side dish to this broccoli garlic pasta! It’s rich, creamy, perfectly funky and crunchy as hell. You’ll probably even sop up the extra garlic butter that’s at the bottom of the bowl! At least, I will. hehe.

Bolognese Grilled Cheese Sandwich – Ever have leftover bolognese sauce and don’t know what to do with it? Try this tasty grilled cheese with lots of melty mozzarella, provolone, leftover meaty bolognese sauce, fresh basil and crunchy bread! It’s so good and such a fun way to repurpose leftover sauce.

xoxo,

Kenz aka GCS