This delicious Broccoli & Parmesan Pasta is fast, simple and tastes amazing. It’s a perfect weeknight meal that you can add to, with your favorite proteins or veggies you have on hand. And of course, lots of vegan parmesan!
With flavors like garlic, shallot, lemon and parsley – there’s lots to love about this Broccoli & Parmesan Pasta! You can use your favorite pasta type, whether regular, whole wheat or gluten free. I love this dish using with long or short pasta. It’s great either way! Be sure to salt your pasta cooking water, to flavor the pasta itself. I like to toss in around 2 tbsp of kosher salt into the water when I put in the pasta, then stir it around. This will add tons of flavor to the final dish.
Another tip is to cut the broccoli florets small. The smaller the pieces, the quicker they will cook. Small pieces also make it easier to eat, and it allows the broccoli pieces to grab up more of yummy sauce ingredients like the garlic and shallot.
Use your choice of vegan parmesan for this Broccoli & Parmesan Pasta. Some have stronger flavor than others, so I suggest trying a few different ones to find your favorite. The Go Veggie brand has a grated vegan parmesan that I find to be quite similar to the real thing. There’s also versions that use nutritional yeast and/or nuts such as cashews. You can also make your own at home. Simply grind up equal parts nutritional yeast and raw cashews until you get small crumbles, then add seasoning like salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Other Delicious Pasta Recipes
Creamy Tomato Pasta with Broccoli
Creamy Avocado Parsley Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes
If you make this Broccoli & Parmesan Pasta, I would love to see it! You can tag me on Instagram @janetsmunchmeals and leave a star rating / comment here!
Broccoli & Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. pasta
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 medium shallot finely chopped
- 1 medium head broccoli florets cut small
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2-3 tbsp water
- 4 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup vegan parmesan
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- Black pepper to serve
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente, in salted water (add 2 tbsp kosher salt to the pasta cooking water). Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
- Preheat a large pan on medium heat. Add olive oil and once hot, add shallot. Cook 1 to 2 min, then add broccoli florets and salt. Stir, cook 2 to 3 min. Add water, stir, cover and cook until broccoli is starting to get fork tender, around 4 to 5 min depending on size of broccoli. Add garlic, stir and cook another minute or two.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add cooked pasta and pasta cooking water, along with lemon juice, vegan parmesan, and fresh parsley. Stir gently to incorporate. Serve and top with black pepper, and more parmesan if desired.