Blistered Broccoli Pasta With Walnuts, Pecorino and Mint

By Dawn Perry

Published April 14, 2020

  • A skillet holds blistered broccoli pasta with a serving scooped out and served on a gray ceramic plate.
    Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Carrie Purcell.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(5,464)
Comments
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The trick to creating deeply browned, pan-seared broccoli involves two things: high heat and no touching. Allowing your florets and stems to sear in an even layer, undisturbed, gives them time to blister without cooking all the way through, so they retain some crunch. While many pasta sauces are finished with starchy pasta water, this one isn’t, since the hot water would strip the broccoli of that color and crunch you worked so hard to achieve. Instead, toss the cooked pasta in the skillet with the broccoli, walnuts and cheese. A drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon will provide any additional moisture you need.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • 12 ounces riccioli, fusilli or other short pasta

  • ½ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

  • ½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)

  • 1 bunch broccoli or cauliflower (about 1 ½ pounds untrimmed), florets roughly chopped and stalks peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick

  • 1 lemon, zested (about 1 teaspoon) then quartered

  • ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, plus more for serving

  • 1 cup packed fresh mint leaves or parsley leaves

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

81 grams carbs; 17 milligrams cholesterol; 787 calories; 23 grams monosaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 43 grams fat; 10 grams fiber; 792 milligrams sodium; 24 grams protein; 6 grams sugar

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.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
5,464 user ratings
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Comments

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!!

Máire

Delicious! Such crunchy broccoli, this dinner tastes fresh and light and still is satisfying, I’ll be making this often. I followed the recipe pretty faithfully except I used vegan parm, cashew nuts instead of walnuts and paprika instead of red pepper flakes. I added about two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar at the end and I would repeat that addition. The mint, lemon and Parmesan is a great combination 💋

Alexis

Very simple but good- roasted walnuts in oven beforehand, added some extra oil to bring together at the end, maybe extra cheese too?

Pia

I did it exactly like it was described and it turned out awful: broccoli too hard, not enough sauce. I do not even want to eat what is left now

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