Pasta and Broccoli

I wasn't going to cook the other night, took the night off which is rare in this house.  But there were hungry mouths to feed, mine included.  With one person being a vegetarian and one watching calories, it's hard to eat out in restaurants and not be tempted to go overboard.  I went surfing in the pantry and the fridge, and pulled some things together to make this simple, delicious pasta and broccoli dish.  Recipe below.

I started with a box of "good for me pasta", farfalle is one of my favorites.  Get the salted water going for that and when it boils throw it in and stir so it does not stick together.

Then start the sauce.  Gotta have garlic in there, chopped up three cloves and cooked in 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

I used frozen broccoli because I did not have fresh, but you could also use fresh if you like.  Rinse the frozen broccoli to thaw it somewhat and drain it.  

Drain the pasta when it is done, toss with the broccoli sauce and tomatoes, top with shaved Parmesan or Pecorino - Romano cheese and fresh chopped flat leaf parsley.

Pasta and Broccoli

1 box of your favorite pasta, I used Barilla Plus Farfalle

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, more if you like heat

1 bag of frozen broccoli florets

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 lemon, juiced

10 grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

Parmesan or Pecorino - Romano cheese

fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and stir.  

In the meantime, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a frying pan and heat on medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook, but do not burn it.  Sprinkle in the pepper flakes.  Rinse the broccoli under warm water to thaw. Drain the broccoli thoroughly.  Remove the frying pan from heat, toss in the broccoli and stir to coat. Return to heat, add the salt, pepper.  Let it simmer for about 2 - 3 minutes,  until the broccoli is completely thawed, but remains bright green. 

When pasta is done, drain, pour into a serving dish and toss with lemon juice, pour the broccoli sauce over the top and add the tomatoes, toss again.  Top with shaved cheese and fresh chopped parsley.  Serves 6.