Food & Cooking Recipes Ingredients Pasta and Grains One-Pot Pasta With Broccoli and Lemon 4.9 (9) It's a quick, easy, and comforting dinner that everyone will love. Prep Time: 10 mins Total Time: 25 mins Yield: 4 to 6 Serves Jump to recipe Less is more in this quick and easy weeknight dinner. Our favorite lemon broccoli pasta recipe calls for just five main ingredients: penne, broccoli, garlic, lemon, and Parmesan. It comes together in less than 25 minutes. Sometimes quick recipes get dinner on the table fast, but leave the sink full of pots and pans—with this one, there's minimal cleanup because everything cooks in one pan. This recipe has lots of bright, fresh flavor for your family to enjoy. Everyone's favorite green vegetable brings crunch and vitamins, Parmesan adds welcome saltiness and a touch of umami, and the lemon brings it all together. It's a pasta meal you'll make regularly. Easy One-Pot Pasta Recipes to Make for Dinner Tonight Credit: Bryan Gardner The Best Pasta for This Recipe We call for penne for this one-pot lemon-broccoli pasta, but really any short pasta will work. Try it with farfalle, orechiette, macaroni, or whatever you have in your pantry. This recipe also works with long noodles; we just prefer it with chunkier pasta. Directions Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook till crisp tender: Add broccoli and cook until pasta is just under al dente and broccoli is crisp-tender and bright green, 3 to 4 minutes more. Drain and toss with remaining ingredients: Drain, then add pasta and broccoli back to pot. Toss with garlic, oil, lemon zest and juice, and cheese. Serve, topped with more cheese. What to Serve With Lemon Broccoli Pasta This hearty vegetarian pasta is not only quick to make, but it’s also filling. If it’s not hearty enough for your crew, try: Stirring in shredded rotisserie chickenDiced chicken cutlets or breast meat on topCanned tuna in olive oil gently mixed inDiced cooked bacon stirred inUnsalted roasted slivered or sliced almonds on top Frequently Asked Questions What's the best way to cook broccoli? The best way to cook broccoli is the way that you enjoy eating it most. Broccoli is a versatile vegetable that can be cooked in many different ways. If you love it steamed or roasted, that is the way you should cook it. If you're not sure, try it boiled, sautéed, stir fried, and made into soup to decide. You can also enjoy it raw in salads Can I use frozen broccoli in this pasta recipe? Yes, you can use frozen broccoli in place of fresh in this pasta recipe. Don't defrost the broccoli before adding it to the pot, and it will cook in about the same time as fresh. Check it after 2 minutes of cooking to check if it needs more time. What can I add to plain pasta for flavor? To add flavor to plain pasta, first, be sure to salt the cooking water for pasta properly to enhance the pasta's flavor. Our favorite flavorful addition to plain pasta is Parmesan cheese. Other options include sautéed garlic, bacon, pesto, sautéed mushrooms, lemon zest and juice, and a little heavy cream mixed with some pasta cooking water and freshly grated nutmeg. 5 More Broccoli Pasta Recipes to Try Baked Broccoli-and-Artichoke Shells Spicy Orecchiette With Broccoli Rigatoni With Broccoli and Sausage Cheater's Mac and Cheese One-Pot Pasta With Broccoli Rabe and Bacon Updated by Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the decorvow recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years.