This Spicy Tomato Broccoli Pasta can be made spicy (of course) or not, thanks to the optional Calabrian chili. This dish is so delicious either way, with lots of buttery flavor, tomatoes, vegan parmesan and kalamata olives.
Flavorful red onions, seasonings and tomatoes form the base of this pasta (sauce), then layers of flavors are added with other ingredients. We’re choosing kalamata olives, vegan parmesan, lemon juice and parsley in this dish to provide lots of flavor in a simple way.
How This Spicy Tomato Broccoli Pasta Comes Together
You’ll start by prepping the red onions and tomatoes. I like to finely chop the red onion and slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise (or quarter the big ones). Cut the broccoli florets into quite small, bite-sized pieces. Do this cutting while you’re bringing a pot of water on to boil for the linguine. Once the water boils, add in the linguine along with around 2 tbsp of kosher salt, and stir. It’s important to salt the water so that the pasta itself gets some flavor. Don’t forget to reserve around a cup of pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.
Meanwhile, preheat a large pan on medium heat. Add the vegan butter and oil oil, which will heat up quickly. Add in the red onions and you can lower the heat to medium-low if you see they’re starting to brown. Once they turn translucent, add in the seasonings and sliced tomatoes. Give everything a good stir. Add in the broccoli and cover the pan with a lid.
The broccoli will turn bright green and get fork tender. While the broccoli is cooking, you can coarsely chop the olives and shred the parmesan. Once the broccoli is ready, add in the drained pasta.
Finishing Up the Dish
Once the pasta is in, add around 1/4 cup pasta cooking water and shredded parmesan, optional Calabrian chili and olives, stir and add in the lemon juice. You can add more pasta cooking water to loosen up the sauce if you like.
I like to serve this pasta with extra shredded vegan parmesan. You can also top it with chopped fresh herbs like parsley or basil, or even dill.
If you like, finish it with a drizzle of olive oil.
Spicy Tomato Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. linguine
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/2 red onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 1/2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 3 cups broccoli florets cut small
- 1/2 cup shredded vegan parmesan*
- 2-3 tbsp finely chopped Calabrian chili optional for spicy heat and flavor
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives coarsely chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Salt the water with 2 tbsp kosher salt. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water prior to draining the pasta.
- Meanwhile, preheat a large on medium heat. Add olive oil and vegan butter. Add red onion, cook for 5-7 min on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and dried parsley.
- Stir and add tomatoes. Cook another 2-3 min, then add broccoli florets. Cover pan with a lid. Cook 5-7 min until broccoli is just about fork tender.
- Add cooked pasta and around 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water stir, then stir in vegan parmesan.
- Stir in Calabrian chili, kalamata olives and lemon juice. Stir well and add in more pasta cooking water and/or olive oil to loosen the sauce if desired. Serve with extra parmesan if you prefer.