This Easy One-Pot Frozen Broccoli Pasta comes together in minutes and requires very little prep! Perfect for a simple weeknight dinner.
Easy One-Pot Frozen Broccoli Pasta
If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you know that I’m a huge fan of frozen veggies. They’re so convenient – already washed and sliced, and can be a wallet-friendly option especially if you stock up when they’re on sale.
This Easy One-Pot Frozen Broccoli Pasta uses frozen broccoli, one of my favourite veggies to buy frozen. In total, this recipe only requires 6 ingredients (plus salt and pepper), one pot, and is ready in 20 minutes. Sound like a winner? It is!
Looking for more frozen broccoli recipes? Check out how to make crispy oven roasted frozen broccoli here.Â
Ingredients to make Easy One-Pot Frozen Broccoli Pasta
Frozen broccoli: frozen broccoli is the vegetable of choice in this recipe. Depending on which brand you buy, broccoli florets may be large or small. I suggest carefully slicing any large florets in half (you may need to thaw slightly to do this) to make them bite-sized pieces. Otherwise, no prep is required here and broccoli can be added to the recipe frozen.Â
Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, garlic: these ingredients act as our sauce and add a delicious flavour to the pasta.
Lentil or Chickpea Pasta:Â I used penne, but any type of noodle will work! I Love using lentil or chickpea pasta in recipes because it does double duty. It serves as a noodle, but also a protein source. Using this as our protein source helps to cut down on ingredients, as well as the time required to cook an additional protein source.Â
Note: if you’re not a fan of lentil or bean-based noodles, you can swap for traditional pasta. Just be sure to add an alternate protein source if you do to keep things balanced. Check out my other protein suggestions section for additional protein add-ins.Â
How to make Easy One-Pot Frozen Broccoli Pasta:
There are two things that I love about making this recipe:
1 – there is very minimal pre-prep required (read: no chopping!)
2 – everything cooks in one pot
To make, start by boiling your pasta water (be sure to salt it!). Once boiling, cook pasta according to instructions on the package. Add broccoli to your pasta pot in the last minute of cooking. Before draining, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. This will be added back to the pan as part of our sauce.
Once cooked, drain pasta and broccoli into a large colander. Leave the pasta and broccoli in the colander for now, and using the same pot, turn the heat to medium then add olive oil and garlic.
Sauté garlic for ~1 minute, then add the pasta and broccoli back to the pot, along with the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and serve with additional parmesan cheese (optional).
Enjoy!
Looking for more frozen broccoli recipes? Check out my how to guide for cooking frozen broccoli on stove top here
Alternate protein suggestions:
If you’re not a fan of lentil or bean-based pasta, you can swap it for traditional noodles. Be sure to add a protein source to keep this recipe balanced. Check out my easy protein additions below:
Sautéed Garlic Shrimp: heat ~1.5tbsp olive oil in a medium pan. Add 1 clove minced garlic, 1lb frozen (thawed) shrimp, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, and 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Sauté shrimp until pink fully cooked, about 6 minutes. Serve with pasta.Â
Canned Navy Beans:Â drain canned navy beans and add them directly to the pasta pot along with the other ingredients.Â
Easy One-Pot Frozen Broccoli Pasta
Easy One-Pot Frozen Broccoli Pasta (6 ingredients)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Easy One-Pot Frozen Broccoli Pasta comes together in minutes and requires very little prep! Perfect for a simple weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
5 cups frozen broccoli (cut any bigger pieces into bite-sized florets)
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup pasta water
3–4 garlic cloves
2 1/2 cups lentil or chickpea pasta
1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Boil the water for pasta (be sure to salt it!). Once boiling, cook pasta according to instructions on the package.
- Add broccoli to your pasta pot in the last minute of cooking.
- Before draining, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. This will be added back to the pan as part of our sauce.
- Once cooked, drain pasta and broccoli into a large colander. Leave the pasta and broccoli in the colander for now.
- Using the same pasta pot, turn the heat to medium and add 1 tbsp olive oil and garlic. Sauté garlic for ~1 minute.
- Add the pasta and broccoli back to the pot, along with the remaining ingredients.
- Stir to combine and serve with additional parmesan cheese (optional).
Notes
You can swap lentil or chickpea pasta for traditional pasta. See the alternate protein options above for suggested add-ins.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Pasta