Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Roasted Broccoli

If your family eats a lot of pasta but needs a break from red sauce, this Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Roasted Broccoli is a delicious alternative!  The parmesan and broccoli add protein and the sauce is packed with flavor.

 Red pasta sauce is great, but sometimes you just need to change things up!  With grocery prices rising, we are eating a lot more pasta these days so I’ve been experimenting with new ways to enjoy it.  This Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Roasted Broccoli was a big hit and would be a great option to add to your weekly meal plan!

Pasta and broccoli is a classic combination, especially for us vegetarians, so I thought it would be fun to put a little twist on that.  Roasted broccoli has so much more flavor than steamed broccoli and is also a great way to add plant based protein to you meal.  

Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Roasted Broccoli Recipe Ingredients

• Pasta – You can use any kind of pasta you like for this recipe.  I would recommend something that is bite sized because the broccoli is cut small.  It’s also nice to use a noodle that has some crevices, like these medium sized shells, for the sauce to get stuck in.  Gluten free pasta can easily be substituted for wheat pasta.
• Broccoli – I used fresh broccoli, but you could also use frozen for this recipe.  I like to cut the broccoli into pretty small pieces for this recipe, so if using frozen or pre-chopped you may need to chop them up a little bit more.  The broccoli gets roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Garlic Parmesan Sauce – This garlic Parmesan sauce is made up of grated parmesan cheese, olive oil (or melted butter) soy sauce, fresh garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper.  
• Lemon – Fresh lemon juice is optional in this recipe but recommended!  You can either squeeze lemon over the entire pot of pasta, or each person can add their own to their personal portion.

How To Make This Easy Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Roasted Broccoli

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat.  Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.  Just before draining, reserve about a cup of the hot pasta water.  Add drained pasta back into pot.
2. Add chopped broccoli to a large sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss everything together with your hands and make sure all the broccoli is coated.  Roast broccoli until tender and starting to brown, 15-20 mins.  
3. Right after you put the broccoli into the oven, make your sauce so it’s ready to pour on the pasta as soon as the hot pasta is added back to the pot.  To make the sauce, add the parmesan, olive oil, tamari, dried oregano, salt and pepper to a medium sized bowl and mix together well.  I usually just add a pinch or two of salt and pepper and then add more at the end after I’ve tasted the pasta.
4. Pour the sauce over the hot pasta and mix well.  If you need to loosen up your sauce, just add a little bit of the reserved pasta water and mix again.  Add roasted broccoli, mix to combine, add extra salt and pepper if needed.  You can either add a big squeeze of fresh lemon to the entire pot, or serve individual portions with a slice of lemon so people can squeeze their own.  This is only if desired, you don’t have to add lemon!

Garlic Parmesan Pasta Recipe Frequently Asked Questions

• Is this recipe vegan?  No, I used regular parmesan but you can easily use a vegan parmesan, or just sprinkle in some nutritional yeast.
• Is this recipe gluten free?  No, but you can easily sub in gluten free pasta!
• What type of pasta is best to use in this recipe?  I would recommend a bite size pasta and these shells were great because some of the parmesan sauce would get stuck inside for a fun bite!
• Do I need to cut the broccoli into small pieces, or can it be left large?  I personally like to cut my broccoli pretty small for this recipe because 1. It will roast more quickly when it’s smaller and I always like to cut down on cook time!  2. The broccoli is really delicious when it’s gets browned and caramelized and it’s easier for that to happen if the pieces are small, they have more surface area.  3.  Since there aren’t a ton of ingredients in this recipe, you basically just have pasta and broccoli so it’s nice to get a bite of each in every spoonful.  It’s easier to do that if the broccoli is small.
• How long will leftovers keep in the refrigerator?  If stored in an airtight container, leftovers should be good for about 4 days.  Re-heat leftovers in microwave or on the stovetop, in a pan, with some cooking spray or olive oil.

Have a question I didn’t answer?  Ask me in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP!

Looking For More Easy Vegetarian Pasta Recipes?

Spicy Baked Pasta with Vegetarian Meatballs

Lemon Garlic Pasta with Kale

Tofu Broccoli Pasta

Spinach Feta Baked Pasta

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Roasted Broccoli

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4 from 2 reviews

• Author: She Likes Food
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

If your family eats a lot of pasta but needs a break from red sauce, this Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Roasted Broccoli is a delicious alternative!  The parmesan and broccoli add protein and the sauce is packed with flavor.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 lb (16 oz) dried pasta, bite size is best and the shells were great because some of the sauce got caught inside
• 4–6 cup small chopped broccoli, I like to chop mine pretty small (I like to add lots of broccoli to this recipe, but if you want to go light just add about 4 cups.)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (like you would shake on a pizza)
• 1/4 cup olive oil, or melted butter
• 2–3 cloves garlic, use as much as you like!  I would suggest grating your garlic on a microplane so it will cook quickly when it’s added into the hot pasta.  If you don’t have a microplane, just try to mince it very finely.
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or tamari (you can leave out and just add a little extra salt if you like)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Extra olive oil for roasting broccoli

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat.  Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.  Just before draining, reserve about a cup of the hot pasta water.  Add drained pasta back into pot.
2. Add chopped broccoli to a large sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil (1-2 tbsp) and sprinkle with salt (1/2 tsp) and pepper (1/2 tsp).  Toss everything together with your hands and make sure all the broccoli is coated.  Roast broccoli until tender and starting to brown, 15-20 mins.
3. Right after you put the broccoli into the oven, make your sauce so it’s ready to pour on the pasta as soon as the hot pasta is added back to the pot.  To make the sauce, add the parmesan, olive oil, tamari, dried oregano, salt and pepper to a medium sized bowl and mix together well.  I usually just add a pinch or two of salt and pepper and then add more at the end after I’ve tasted the pasta.
4. Pour the sauce over the hot pasta and mix well.  If you need to loosen up your sauce, just add a little bit of the reserved pasta water and mix again.  Add roasted broccoli, mix to combine, add extra salt and pepper if needed.  You can either add a big squeeze of fresh lemon to the entire pot, or serve individual portions with a slice of lemon so people can squeeze their own.  This is only if desired, you don’t have to add lemon!

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Dinner, Vegetarian
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American