Easy Lemon Broccoli Pasta
My easy vegan broccoli pasta cooks up in minutes and is bursting with flavor! Made with tender broccoli florets and penne in a light lemon olive oil sauce, this dish is so simple, but so scrumptious, and perfect for a weeknight!
Servings: 4 (generous) servings
Calories: 470kcal
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dried penne pasta
- 4 cups broccoli florets (1 large or 2 small crowns)
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or basil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions, setting the timer for your pasta to cook to al dente. When the pasta has 30 seconds of cook time remaining, stir in the broccoli. Cook the pasta and broccoli until the timer goes off (the broccoli should have turned bright green — if not, give it a few more seconds), then drain them together into a colander.
- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté it, stirring constantly, until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the cooked pasta and broccoli. Stir everything to coat the pasta and broccoli with the olive oil, and cook for 1-2 minutes, until heated throughout.
- Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, lemon zest, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Taste-test and adjust any seasonings to your liking.
- Sprinkle with parsley or basil.
- Divide onto plates and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 621mg | Potassium: 526mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 642IU | Vitamin C: 86mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg