One pot pasta with broccoli is a twist on classic pasta con broccoli from The Pasta House, using the simple one pot wonder technique. This easy dinner recipe is ready in minutes and simple to clean up!
My One Pot Wonder Chicken Lo Mein was such a huge hit that I thought I should come up more one pot wonder recipes. This recipe for One Pot Wonder Pasta Con Broccoli is a twist on classic pasta con broccoli from The Pasta House. The original recipe had apparently been published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch some time ago. I adapted the original recipe to reduce the saturated fat and utilize the simple one pot wonder technique.
To make this dish, add most of the ingredients (pasta, broccoli, garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, milk, broth, salt, and pepper) into one large pot and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat and add the final two ingredients (mushrooms and parmesan cheese).
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It’s that quick and easy! As the pasta cooks, it creates a creamy sauce so you don’t miss the actual cream that was in the original recipe.
I have made this dish with whole wheat pasta and with regular pasta. Unfortunately, I didn’t think the whole wheat pasta worked well in this dish. It was a little overpowering. In general, I try to use whole wheat products whenever I can because they add fiber, vitamins, and minerals. So, if you know that you like the taste of whole wheat pasta and want to try it in this dish, then you should try it. That would be the healthier option.
I have also made this dish using mushrooms that I thinly sliced myself and using store-bought pre-sliced mushrooms. I found that the store-bought mushrooms are not sliced thin enough. When the mushrooms are sliced thin, the heat from the pasta softens them nicely. When they are thick-sliced, they are a little bit firm and raw tasting. I recommend taking the time to thinly slice the mushrooms, unless you can find very thinly sliced pre-packaged mushrooms at your grocery store.
One Pot Wonder Pasta Con Broccoli Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (14 -16 oz.) box campanelle pasta -or whatever pasta you like
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves -minced
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 3 cups 2% milk -or your preferred milk/milk alternative
- 1 cup chicken broth -or vegetable broth
- 1 cup mushrooms -thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add the pasta, broccoli, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, tomato sauce, milk, and broth to a large pot. Cover and bring to a full, rolling boil. Stir and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer covered for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until there is 1/2 to1 inch of liquid left in the bottom of the pot. *NOTE: Keep an eye on the pot in the beginning of the cooking process because milk tends to boil over easily.
- Remove the pasta from the heat and stir in the mushrooms and the parmesan. Let the pasta rest for 3-5 minutes before serving. The remaining liquid will absorb into the pasta and the mushrooms will soften.
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Pasta House Pasta Con Broccoli.
Kate from Australia says
Thanks for the recipe. Made it last night and the family enjoyed it. It was nice and easy!
I’m planning on trying the One Pot Chicken Lo Mein tonight!
I assumed that I was supposed to add the broth and milk in with the other ingredients? I couldn’t find them in the instructions.
(for any Australian cooks, I just used a plain Pasta sauce for the Tomato Sauce, and chicken stock for the broth)
Amanda Finks says
Kate,
I’m so glad your family liked this recipe!
You are absolutely right. You should have added the broth and milk in with the other ingredients. I see that I wrote that in the blog post, but not in the actual recipe card. Thanks so much for alerting me to this. I will correct the recipe card ASAP.
Karen says
I wondered if anyone has tried this with brown rice pasta and almond milk. Dinners here are gluten and dairy free.
Amanda Finks says
Karen,
I had another reader post on my one pot wonder chicken lo mein that she tried Tinkyada Gluten Free Spaghetti and it worked out well for her. She also said that she had to stir it often to keep the pasta from sticking. I’m not sure about rice noodles and almond milk substitutions. I think that it would work the same way as the original recipe. If you try it, let me know how it turns out. Thanks!
Karen says
I finally got it all together last night. I used TJ’s brown rice pene and unsweetened almond milk. It was a hit with 3 of 4, and I think the 4th was just being a 4 year old asserting his independence. Brown rice pasta does tend to stick more often that regular anyway.
Amanda Finks says
Karen,
I’m so glad it worked out. It’s good to know that brown rice pasta and almond milk are good substitutions in this recipe. Thanks for the update!
Jaimee says
I was skeptical of this – with no cream or butter! It was DELICIOUS! And so super easy, thank you so much!!
Amanda Finks says
Great! I’m so glad you liked it!
Ashley says
Could you add chicken to this recipe, like in the low-mein one?
Amanda Finks says
Yes. Just cut the chicken up into chunks and add it in the beginning of the cooking process so that it has enough time to cook. That would be great!
David says
My solution for the undercooked mushroom problem – add the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and mushrooms to the pot first, and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly: essentially stir-frying the mushrooms until they start to soften. Then add the broth, then the remaining ingredients. If using chicken I would fry it along with the mushrooms, in order to brown it a little first before it gets boiled (browning = much more flavorful).
janice dotson says
I made this with whole wheat pasta and cashew milk. Since my family refuses to eat anything remotley healthy it was super easy to sneak it in this dish, they devoured the whole thing, there was no going back for seconds, because it was gone. Thanks.
Amanda Finks says
Janice,
I love the idea of using cashew milk in this dish. I’m glad your family enjoyed it. Thanks!
Jeff D says
Quick question, being from the UK we don’t use cups, we use weight grams or ounces.
How much is 3 cups of broccoli in weight, approximately.
And by tomato sauce do you mean something like Ragu or Bravo
many thanks
Jeff
Amanda Finks says
Jeff,
I believe that would be around 225-250 grams of broccoli florets. It’s basically the florets cut off of 2 medium sized crowns of broccoli.
American canned tomato sauce is just watered down tomato paste with a little bit of seasoning. Using something like Ragu would give a very similar result, except it will add more flavor. Sounds good to me!
Hope this helps.
Aimee Peterson says
I don’t see any red sauce in the pic but the recipe calls for that?
Amanda Finks says
Aimee,
Yes. You do need tomato sauce for this recipe.
You’re right, though. The red sauce is not very noticeable in the pictures. The middle picture of the uncooked pasta and broccoli in the liquids does actually have tomato sauce in it. It’s just mixed in with the milk and chicken broth so it’s hard to see.
Hope you like it!
Maralee says
I made this tonight and it was a hit! Thank you for the recipe! I was a little lazy and bought the pre sliced mushrooms, but rather then throw them in at the end I just cooked them the whole time with everything and it turned out fine.
Amanda Finks says
Maralee,
I’m so glad you liked it! I was worried that adding the mushrooms too early would make them tough. I’m glad to hear that it worked out for you.
Thanks!
Cortni says
This was really great! Perfect for lunches. I made a pot and immediately put it in six containers.
I sauteed the mushrooms before putting them in the pot to make sure they got softened and to bring out the flavor (I used baby bellas), and also added chicken for a full meal.
Will definitely add this to the rotation. Thanks!
Nadia says
definitly trying this out tonight!!!
Was wondering what kind of pasta is in the pic – is it fresh pasta or dried?
and where did you buy it? Hoping this brand is available in Canada!!!
Amanda Finks says
Nadia,
Great question because fresh vs. dried pasta will make a huge difference in the cooking time in this dish. I always use dried pasta for one pot wonder dishes.
Honestly, I’m not loyal to one brand. I usually just get what’s on sale. So, there is no telling what brand I used in the pictures. It’s probably just a generic store brand. Any brand of dried pasta should work just fine. Hope you like it!
Maddie says
I made the Lo Mein Chicken one pot wonder last night and loved it. I want to try out this recipe as well but both of my children will NOT eat anything with tomatoes in it. Any suggestions for a substitute?
Thanks!
Amanda Finks says
Maddie,
I’m so glad you liked the lo mein!
If you would like to lose the tomato sauce in the recipe, it shouldn’t be a problem at all.
I would cut out the tomato sauce and either:
1. Double the chicken broth to 2 cups.
Or
2. Try your awesome pesto idea! I would add 1/2 cup prepared pesto and increase the chicken broth to 1 1/2 cups.
Hope this helps!
Maddie says
I made the Lo Mein Chicken one pot wonder last night and loved it. I want to try out this recipe as well but both of my children will NOT eat anything with tomatoes in it. Any suggestions for a substitute? Maybe a Pesto?
Thanks!
Ashley says
I’d like to try this, but adjust the milk/broth ratio due to dairy sensitivity in our family. Do you think it would be OK with 1 cup of milk and 3 cups of broth?
Amanda Finks says
Ashley,
Yes. Using 1 cup of milk and 3 cups of broth would work. The end product may be slightly less ‘creamy’ tasting. But, I do think that it will still be yummy.
I have had other readers say that they used almond milk as a substitute for the dairy milk in this recipe, which is another great option.
Hope you like it!
Anon says
HI,
I want to cook this, but since I stay alone, the serving size is too large. Can these one-pot recipes be scaled down, i.e., can I halve the quantities of all the ingredients? Thanks!
Amanda Finks says
Anon,
Absolutely. It will be easier to cut the recipe in half if you have a wide pot or skillet to cook the dish in. When you scale back the recipe, you are cutting the amount of liquid used. These dishes cook best when all of the ingredients are submerged in (or at least touching) the liquid. This is where the wider pot comes in handy.
Also, watch the cooking time. It will cook up a little quicker when using fewer ingredients.
Hope you like it.
Anon says
Hi, just wondering whether I can halve all the ingredients in terms of quantity. I live on my own, so a dish that produces 3 serves would be ideal for me…Thanks!
liz says
I added chicken and used Ragu Cheddar Cheese Sauce it was great.
Amanda Finks says
Liz,
Cheddar and broccoli are a great combination. Sounds awesome!
Glad you liked it!
Danna says
My meal turned out very gluey. Do you have any tips for me? I’m thinking it was how I cooked it. Thanks!
Amanda Finks says
Danna,
My guess would be that it was cooked a little too long. There should still be some liquid in the bottom of the pot after cooking.
If you have this problem in the future with any other one pot wonders, try stirring in a little extra liquid at the end (milk, stock, wine, or whatever). This will bring it back to a more creamy consistency.
Hope this helps.
Angela says
I’d love to make this, but I always shy away from using uncooked pasta when preparing a dish such as this. I like to cook my pasta beforehand, drain & rinse it, and then add it (in order to eliminate the excess starch). So, by how much should I decrease the milk and the chicken broth when I use already cooked pasta?
This recipe (as it’s written) would be a ‘side dish’ for my family, but I’d add ground turkey or lean ground beef into it, in order to make this a ‘One Dish Meal’. I’d also add a tiny sprinkle of garlic powder.
Angela says
that is a completely different meal idea.
Lisa says
Just made this for dinner. Everyone loved it! Thanks for a great recipe.
Amanda Finks says
Thanks Lisa! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
Mia says
Hi! I just found your blog and am excited to try all your one pot wonders – first will be the enchilada bowl and then this one for sure! If I were to replace the mushrooms with chicken, do you think I need to sautee it first?
Amanda Finks says
Thanks Mia!
Either way will work. I have one pot wonders where the raw chicken is added with the broth, veggies, pasta, etc. and it gets simmered. And, I have recipes where the chicken is sautéed first then simmered with the broth. Personally, I think the chicken tastes a little better if it is sautéed until lightly browned first. It will add a few minutes to the total cooking time. But, it will still be a quick and easy recipe.
Jamie says
Hi recipe looks yum, is the broccoli frozen florets
Kelly Overend says
Frozen would cook too fast
Cindy says
Can this be made in a electric pressure cooker?
Thanks
Jen says
I would love to give this a try. It says 6 servings but doesn’t say how much a serving is, can you help me out?
Michelle says
I see the caloríe count. How much would you consider to be a serving?
LaReesa says
I made this tonight, but I used whole milk and whole wheat spaghetti and added 1/2 lb. potato sausage and 3 campari tomatoes. So a disclaimer that I didn’t follow the recipe exactly. The pasta was okay, but a little boring. I’m not sure what would kick up the flavor – pepper and extra parm helped a little. Maybe crushed red pepper, fresh herbs, very flavorful Italian sausage? But my husband was seriously pumped to only have one dinner pan to wash so there’s that haha
Jennifer says
Do I pre cook the pasta before hand?
Jennifer says
Do I pre cook the pasta before hand?
Jess says
Can you tell me how much a serving is? 1 cup?