Blistered Broccoli Pasta With Walnuts, Pecorino and Mint
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 12ounces riccioli, fusilli or other short pasta
- ½cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- ½cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
- ¼ to ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)
- 1bunch broccoli or cauliflower (about 1½ pounds untrimmed), florets roughly chopped and stalks peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1lemon, zested (about 1 teaspoon) then quartered
- ½cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1cup packed fresh mint leaves or parsley leaves
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
785 calories; 43 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 23 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 80 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 777 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the walnuts and red-pepper flakes, if using, and cook, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer walnuts and red-pepper flakes to a small bowl. Season walnuts with a little salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Add the broccoli to the skillet and toss to coat in the oil. Shake the skillet so broccoli settles in an even layer. Cook, undisturbed, 2 minutes. Toss and shake to arrange in an even layer again and cook, undisturbed, another 2 to 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- Step 4
Drain pasta and add to the skillet along with the lemon zest, cheese, toasted walnuts and half the mint; toss to combine. Divide among plates or bowls and top with remaining mint, more cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges, squeezing juice on top, if desired.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Ada Press
This was way too dry. The concept of blistered broccoli is wonderful. But dry? Not so wonderful. Here's a suggestion. Keep the blistered broccoli aside, out of the liquid you need to add to make this a cohesive dish. Just add some left-over pasta water (approx. 1/2 cup) to the pasta as you sprinkle with cheese, etc. Then add the blistered broccoli last, to keep it from getting soggy. Now you have just a little sauce, which brings it all together.... That's All, Folks!
Heather B
This was quite tasty, but I plan to make a few changes the next time I make it. 1. Fry the walnuts whole, and then cool and chop. Trying to remove chopped nuts from hot oil was tricky. 2. I will roast the broccoli. There was too much to get into a single layer in the pan, and I didn't get as much sear as I'd like. 3. I'll add some onion and garlic, because that is never unwelcome. 4. I will save some of the pasta water to make more of a sauce.
Izzy
Absolute slam dunk. I prepped the lemon zest, grated cheese, measured walnuts etc and the whole thing came together between boiling the water and sprinkling the parsley. Delicious!!
Sue
Or, you can make enough roasted broccoli (Kenji Alt-Lopez's method, for example) for a roast veg-based meal tonight to throw the leftovers into this dish tomorrow, having already achieved a beautiful, low-fuss char on the broccoli.
kesw
Surprising to have just about all ingredients on hand (had to add asparagus and use spaghetti instead of short pasta) but still really good, easy, & quick. And “Blistered Broccoli “ is a good name for a band
BergenBlonde
Loved it! Had a whole bag of broccoli florets from Costco and I always struggle with how to use all of it with just two people. The walnuts were a delicious touch. I could have used more! And lots and lots of cheese make this a winner! I also used parsley and will try with mint next time. So easy, even for carnivores like me.
Jordan
The first time I made this I used all mint, no parsley, and it was absolutely delicious. The second time I used a mixture of parsley and mint since I had both in my garden. I will only do mint from now on; it's just so much better. This is a very easy recipe that yields delicious, restaurant-quality results. I wouldn't change a single thing.
Randy
I used a combination of broccoli, asparagus, and cauliflower. The combination of all the flavors, especially the mint and the lemon at the end, made this a real winner. This is a perfect lockdown recipe. Leftovers did not make it past 11 pm. Thanks
Jen
I roasted the broccoli instead so I could stir in some pasta water at the end and add the broccoli last— I do think this would have been too dry without the pasta water. Other than that the flavours were really good (I used a combination of mint & parsley, and also added some sliced garlic at the beginning) and I loved the crunch of the walnuts.
Bill
Try using green garlic shoots in lieu of mint or parsley.
skwon
I added bacon to the dish and turned out great! I cooked bacon first and reserved the bacon fat. Then with a clean pan, I followed the recipe - except 1. I added two teaspoon of bacon fat to olive oil before blistering bacon and then 2. tossed the cooked (and chopped) bacon at the end when mixing with lemon zest, cheese, and roasted walnuts.
Delia
Can this be adapted for frozen broccoli? #quarantine no fresh broccoli...
Ari
Everything was delicious but it was super dry without any type of sauce
CDP
Amazing quarantine dish! Easy with only minimal prep work; I used half mint and half Italian parsley and went heavy on the zest (one and a half lemon). Amazingly hearty for a vegetable pasta dish. You'll not miss meat.
andreaborn
2 minutes, shake, then another 2-3 minutes. Heat stays medium-high.
Tara G.
This is going into regular rotation for sure. I used mint and walnuts, and it was delicious. The only chopping is the broccoli, which takes no time at all. Garlic would be delicious, but isn't necessary and keeps it simple enough for after work prep. There isn't a sauce to speak of, but once you drizzle it with oil and a little lemon, it's good to go.
rachel
Roasted the broccoli at 400 for 25 min and made the other ingredients like the herbs, walnuts, oil and about 3/4 cup pasta water into pesto. So so so tasty!
tinaindenver
A 2/2 Cup olive oil strikes me as excessive and unnecessary. I used a few tablespoons of oil and a Bit of pasta water and It came out well. I find that many recipes on this site call for way too much oil.
Healthy cooking
My second go, I followed the recipe as written (with a scale) and we loved it. The previous time, I sort of winged it and was not nearly as impressed. I have a couple of Dawn Perry recipes now that have made it into our rotation. Give it a try! You might also be pleasantly surprised.
Laurie
Absolutely delicious...I might up the walnuts in the future and I only had Parmesan I bet with peccorino it would have been even better!
Beth
I followed the recipe pretty much exactly as written, except for cooking the pasta about two minutes less than the pasta instructions and reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. After draining the pasta, I put it back into the cast iron skillet with the broccoli, EVOL, and walnut mix, poured in the reserved pasta water and cooked it all together for another minute or so. Just before serving, I added the mint and pecorino cheese and also drizzled EVOL on top. Delicious!
Juliana
Good flavor ideas! I like to roast my broccoli but I liked the idea of mint & walnuts.... so basically I ended up making the Sheet-Pan Spicy Roasted Broccoli Pasta recipe instead and then added fresh mint leaves and toasted walnuts at the end. Yum! ;)
KinAZ
Added some pasta water as recommended by others along with about 2 TBs lemon juice to finish as well as some chicken sausage for some additional protein. Loved it.
sylvia
Really lovely taste combination. Skip the pasta water, but double the broccoli and the Parmesan :)
David P.
Cooked this the other night. Agree - too dry - especially when reheated. Also think it could use some garlic.
Bmw67
Made with Trader Joe’s gnocchi so added walnuts and red Chile flakes in last minute of pan fry. Made broccoli in air fryer. Mint and lemon zest give a nice fresh element. And not all pasta dishes need to be saucy. Good olive oil is all that is needed here.
Colleen Kenny
A very easy recipe and delicious. Enjoyed by the entire family. I followed other's advice and kept the broccoli to the side until the very end so I could mix in some pasta water to keep the pasta from seeming too dry. We made this as a side to salmon and it was a great meal.
next time
Added tofu and candied pecans. try chickpeas
MCW
Substituted pesto for the walnuts and added an extra half lemon. Farfalle shaped pasta. 10/10!
Lisa
So good! Added 1/2 asparagus and I did add a bit of pasta water, but it didn't need much. Great spring pasta dish. I didn't find it dry at all and not sure I needed the pasta water, but good to have on hand. The walnuts very quickly came close to burning so either cook whole and then chop like someone suggested or cook lower than medium high
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