Broccoli and Cavatelli (Serves 4)
Cavatelli Pasta and Broccoli is a quick pasta recipe that comes together in under 30 minutes. Growing up this was a dinner staple for us. Honestly, even though I love vegetables, broccoli is not my favorite. But in this dish, it is incredible. Trust me you are going to want to try this one. You can even get your kids to eat it.
An interesting fact about cavatelli. It originates in southern Italy and is one of Italy’s oldest pasta shapes. Some say the shape resembles a little shell, others say a miniature hot dog bun. What do you think?
Ingredients
¾ Cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 Garlic Cloves, Whole
¼ Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
8 Cups Fresh Broccoli (about 1 ½ lbs.), Just the Florets Cut Small
1 Tsp. Salt
½ Tsp. Black Pepper
1 lb. of Cavatelli Pasta (But you can use a different pasta shape if you wish)
Grated Pecorino Romano To Top The Pasta
Method
In a large frying pan, heat up your garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil on a low flame and cook until fork tender. In the meantime, in a pasta pot boil water and add a generous amount of salt. Boil the broccoli for about 4 minutes.
Next, smash the garlic into the olive oil using a fork. Using a slotted spoon, drain the broccoli and add it to the oil. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Raise the heat to low to medium. Boil your pasta. After about 5 minutes remove the lid from the broccoli. Using a potato masher roughly mash the broccoli. Please be careful to roughly mash, you do not want it to be pasty. Remove some pasta water for later use and drain your pasta. Add the pasta to the sauteed broccoli. Mix and slowly add in about two tablespoons (more if necessary) of the pasta water until you have the desired consistency. Combine well and sauté for two more minutes. Serve and sprinkle on some grated cheese.