Pasta with Green Sauce is a super delicious and healthy dish made with broccoli, anchovies, capers, and cheese. Ready in 25 minutes, this creamy pasta is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. Also, it is packed with nutrients from broccoli and creaminess from the cheese.
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Same as Salmon and Spinach Pasta and Chicken and Chorizo Pasta, this recipe for green pasta sauce is packed with super fresh flavors and will please everyone in the family.
Why This Recipe Works?
- Pasta With Green Sauce is a perfect weekday meal as it's ready in just 25 minutes.
- This green pasta sauce is a great way to transform the "boring" broccoli into "amazing".
- It is extremely easy to make with step-by-step pictures and instructions.
- This deliciously creamy green pasta sauce is packed with goodness coming from broccoli.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Health Benefits of Broccoli
This dark green vegetable of the brassica family provides lots of vitamin C and vitamin A, as well as some iron, calcium, and potassium.
It gives this green pasta sauce a touch of creaminess and an incredible flavor punch.
You can replace the broccoli with Romanesco broccoli which has a slightly lighter color and nuttier flavor.
- Anchovies - They add a rich, savory, umami flavor when dissolved into a sauce. They have a strong fishy taste so add in small amounts, to begin with, and add extra if necessary. You can replace anchovies with pancetta if you don't like the fishy taste coming from them. Use truffles or omit them if you want to make this delicious pasta dish vegetarian friendly!
- Capers - These small edible flower buds add a floral, tangy, and salty flavor to dishes. Use green olives or pickled gherkins if you don't have / like them.
- Pesto - Traditional pesto is made with basil, parmesan, pine nuts, olive oil, and garlic. You can use any type of green pesto but if you are lucky enough to make or find Wild Garlic Pesto, that would be the best choice.
- Mascarpone Cheese -It helps to thicken and enrich the sauce. You can omit and use more cream instead or substitute it with creme fraiche.
- Blue Cheese - Stilton, gorgonzola, roquefort. Use whichever is your favorite to enrich the sauce and give a sharp umami flavor. You can omit it if you are not a big fan of blue cheese and add goat's cheese or some feta cheese for a lighter sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese - No pasta is complete without parmesan cheese. Use a good quality block cheese and try to avoid already grated versions. Some of the best substitutes for parmesan are Grana Padano, Pecorino, or Manchego cheeses.
- Pasta - Although my favorite is tagliatelle, linguini, or spaghetti for that type of sauce, you can toss this delicious green sauce with any pasta you prefer.
Step-by-Step Instructions
It is very easy and quick to make this delicious and healthy sauce and to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:
Cook the Broccoli
Start with boiling some water for broccoli. Prepare the broccoli by cutting it into small fleurets and cooking them in boiling water until soft, for about 8 to 10 minutes.
You can do all your preparation (grate the cheese with a box grater, weigh the ingredients and chop the capers and parsley) while the broccoli is cooking.
Drain the broccoli fleurets when cooked and set aside. Make sure you reserve the cooking liquid to use for the sauce later.
Prepare the Sauce
Put a large pan filled with water on medium heat for cooking the pasta. Add a tablespoon of salt and bring it to a boil while preparing your sauce. (Assuming that you are using dry pasta which normally takes 12 to 14 minutes to cook. Always check the pasta packaging for the timing. You can adjust the doneness to your liking).
Melt the butter in a large pan (or wok) and add the anchovies.
As soon as the anchovies are melted and incorporated with butter, add the capers, and stir for 30 seconds before adding the garlic and pesto.
Give them a quick stir and then add the cream, mascarpone cheese, blue cheese, and parmesan. Stir well until they all melt into a creamy sauce and then add the chilies, freshly ground black pepper, and salt.
Stir in the broccoli fleurets and gently simmer for 5-6 minutes until they all form a thick, green creamy sauce.
Add a little cooking water from broccoli if the sauce is too thick. Stir in the parsley just before adding the pasta to the sauce, and cook the sauce with the pasta for another couple of minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
We love this Pasta With Green Sauce served with a bowl of salad such as Rocket Salad With Parmesan, Greek Cucumber Salad, or Indian Chickpea Salad (Chana Salad). Garlic bread is another great accompaniment to pasta dishes. Why not try my delicious Garlic Naan - Indian Flatbread for a twist?
Top Tip From the Chef
When cooking the pasta, make sure you use a large pan with lots of water. Add plenty of salt and bring the water to a rapid boil before adding your pasta. Follow the instructions on the packaging for cooking time.
Recipe FAQs
You can reheat the pasta with sauce in the microwave.
If you don't have a microwave, you can reheat the pasta gently in a pan with a little liquid added on very low heat.
If the sauce is cream-based, add a little milk, otherwise, use water or stock to reheat the pasta.
You can refrigerate the leftovers for up to 5 days. Cool the pasta down and put it in an airtight container before refrigerating.
Yes, this pasta freezes well and you can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Related Recipes
For more delicious pasta recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this quick, easy yet satisfying pasta dish with green sauce as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Pasta with Green Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 400 g broccoli fleurets (1 medium head)
- 30 g butter
- 30 g anchovies (around 8 pieces)
- 1 tbsp capers (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon pesto
- 100 ml double cream
- 20 g mascarpone cheese
- 40 g blue cheese
- 50 g parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ teaspoon chilli flakes (or ½ chopped fresh red chilli)
- 2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
- 400 g pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Start with preparing the broccoli. Cut it into small fleurets and cook in boiling water until soft, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the broccoli and reserve the cooking liquid.
- Boil some water for pasta and get your other ingredients ready while the broccoli is cooking.
- Put a large pan or wok on medium heat at the same time as you start cooking your pasta in salty boiling water. (Assuming that you are using dry pasta which normally takes 12 to 14 minutes to cook. Always check the pasta packaging for the timing. You can adjust it to your liking of doneness).
- Add butter to the pan (or wok) and let it melt before adding the anchovies.
- As soon as the anchovies are melted and incorporated with butter, add the capers, and stir for 30 seconds before adding the garlic and pesto.
- Give them a quick stir and then add the cream, mascarpone cheese, blue cheese, and parmesan.
- Stir well until they all melt into a creamy sauce and then add the chilies, freshly ground black pepper, salt, and broccoli fleurets.
- Gently simmer for 5-6 minutes until they all form a thick, green creamy sauce. Add a little cooking water from broccoli if the sauce is too thick.
- Add the parsley just before adding the pasta to the sauce, stir well, and cook the sauce with the pasta for another couple of minutes before serving.
Notes
- This green pasta sauce is a great way to transform the "boring" broccoli into "amazing".
- You can refrigerate the pasta for up to 5 days. Cool the pasta down and put it in an airtight container before refrigerating.
- You can do all your preparation (grating the cheese, weighing the ingredients and chopping the capers and parsley) while the broccoli is cooking.
- When cooking the pasta, make sure you use a large pan with lots of water. Add plenty of salt and bring the water to a rapid boil before adding your pasta. Follow the instructions on the packaging for cooking time.
Nutrition
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Catherine
Quick & easy, really tasty. Perfect recipe for weeknights.