This Creamy Broccoli Pasta has pasta shells smothered in a buttery Garlic Parmesan Sauce with herbs and lots of broccoli! Add a hint of lemon juice at the end for the ultimate flavor that your family will love.
Serve this with some Garlic Bread with Cheese or Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
Broccoli Pasta
If you ask me, it doesn’t get much better than savory pasta shells smothered in a flavorful cream sauce. I never have to worry about getting my family to eat their broccoli when I make this for dinner.
BONUS: This is one pot meal that you can make in 30 minutes or less!
Check out my PRO tips below for different types of pasta options and what you need to do to make sure your sauce is EXTRA creamy.
Want to add more to this meal? Serve these creamy shells with some homemade chicken nuggets and some garlic bread with cheese.
How to Make It
Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the chicken broth, half and half, and seasonings. Bring to a boil.
Add the pasta. Submerge the pasta into the liquid and let it return to a boil. Cook according to package instructions, partially covered. Plan on adding the broccoli during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Run a silicone spatula along the bottom of the pot occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to it.
Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and use a silicone spatula to gently mix in the Parmesan cheese. Sauce will continue to thicken upon standing.
Pro Tips
- Grate the cheese from a block so that it melts and tastes the best. Packaged grated or shredded Parmesan cheese contains cellulose to prevent it from clumping together, which also prevents it from melting as well.
- A combination of Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano cheese tastes great as well.
- Don’t add the cheese to a super hot base as this will cause the dairy to separate and the consistency will be grainy instead of smooth.
- Similarly-sized pastas may be substituted, refer to package for approximate cooking time. Examples include Fusilli (spiral) and Farfalle (bowtie).
- If you prefer to add chicken: Be sure to check out my Chicken and Broccoli pasta recipe!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. The consistency of the dairy is altered slightly once reheated but I love heating it in the microwave for a quick lunch!
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Measuring Spoons– Comes with small spoons that makes it easy to measure out the herbs in this recipe.
- Box Grater– Makes it easy to shred or grate cheese in a variety of sizes. We grate the Parmesan cheese into a fine powder in this recipe, this grater makes it easy.
- 10-inch pan– with lid, the perfect size for this recipe.
- Pasta Shells– I used Colavita brand for this recipe, (I like the shape)!
- Garlic Twister– it’s much more flavorful to mince fresh garlic. This twister does it in seconds and is easy to clean and store.
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Tried This Recipe?
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Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups half and half
- ½ lb. medium pasta shells
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, dried thyme, salt
- ½ teaspoon EACH: dried oregano, dried parsley
- 3 ½ cups broccoli florets, uncooked
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¾ cup Parmesan Cheese, finely grated into a powder
Instructions
- Measure out all ingredients prior to beginning. (This is called “mise en place” and is a good idea for quick recipes.) Pro Tip: Cut the broccoli into smaller pieces so that they cook more quickly.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth, half and half, and seasonings.
- Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Submerge the pasta into the liquid and let it return to a boil. Cook partially covered according to package instructions. Add the broccoli during the last 6 minutes. Run a silicone spatula along the bottom of the pan occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to it.
- Remove cover taste-test a pasta noodle for doneness before proceeding. If needed, cover and cook longer, until your desired doneness is obtained.
- Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and use a silicone spatula to gently mix in the Parmesan cheese.
- Sauce will continue to thicken upon standing. Garnish with parsley and serve with garlic bread with cheese.
Notes
- Grate the cheese from a block so that it melts and tastes the best. Packaged grated or shredded Parmesan cheese contains cellulose to prevent it from clumping together, which also prevents it from melting as well.
- A combination of Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano cheese tastes great as well.
- Don't add the cheese to a super hot base as this will cause the dairy to separate and the consistency will be grainy instead of smooth.
- Similarly-sized pastas may be substituted, refer to package for approximate cooking time. Examples include Fusilli (spiral) and Farfalle (bowtie).
- If you prefer to add chicken: Be sure to check out my Chicken and Broccoli pasta recipe!
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. The consistency of the dairy is altered slightly once reheated but I love heating it in the microwave for a quick lunch!
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.
I used cavatappi noodles rather than shells. I discovered I had to adjust the recipe, adding more chicken stock and cream. Otherwise, it was enjoyed by the entire family.
I’m happy to hear the family enjoyed it David, nice work! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment💜
Loved the flavors! However, my sauce did not thicken. The only difference is that I used leftover pasta instead of uncooked. Would that have made the difference?
Hi Bev, yes, that makes a big difference. The amount of liquid in this recipe is designed around using uncooked pasta, which absorbs a lot of the liquid as it cooks. The remaining liquid is then combined with the cheese and the sauce thickens right up after that.
Thank you, I wondered if that was the problem! Definitely will try again! So easy and delicious 😋
Love, love, love this! I forgot to buy 1/2 and 1/2 and used heavy cream instead but in a smaller amount (cut it down by 25%). Turned out so delicious!
I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
Substituted coconut milk and still delicious! Highly recommend!
Thanks for sharing that info Christine, great to know!💖
This was really good!! I served this with baked fish sticks and my 2 and 4 year olds gobbled it up!! Will definitely make again.
I’m so happy the kiddos loved it so much Heidi, sounds like a yummy meal! Thanks so much for the great review!💖
Is the broccoli precooked before you add it?
Hi Mike, the broccoli is uncooked, and it’s steamed during the end of cooking the pasta.
Delicious! My fussy toddler and partner loved it too!
Wahooo! Nice work Michelle, thanks so much for the great comments and review!💖
This is so delicious and easy! I love dishes with lots of flavor and this did not disappoint. I used oat milk instead of half and half and a pinch of red pepper flakes to suit my preference and it worked out great!
I’m so happy this didn’t disappoint Noelle! Thanks so much for the review!💖
Would frozen broccoli florets work ok?
Yes, I would just let it thaw and pat it dry 🙂
I know I’m late to the party.
Cooking more at home during covid and found your recipe searching words of our pantry.
Recipe was simple, clearly instructed and delicious. However it took me MORE than 25 minutes to prepare… I’m not a confident cook so maybe that’s why lol, didn’t change anything, followed recipe to the T.
Thank you Stephanie!
You’re very welcome! I’m so happy you liked it, and found the instructions easy to follow. Thanks so much for the great review!❤️
Cooked this for dinner with spaghetti and it turned out so so good! Thanks for the great recipe <3
Love from Indonesia!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Maggie, much love back to you!❤️