Description

In this recipe, bucatini pasta and broccoli are boiled together and finished with a lightly creamy tomato sauce before dusted with pecorino cheese. You’d definitely fall in love with this aromatic pasta dish!

Ingredients

Scale

1/2 lb. bucatini pasta

1/2 lb. broccoli (roughly chopped)

2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (or quark)

2 cloves garlic (peeled, roughly chopped)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

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Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check to see if the broccoli is tender enough and the pasta is al dente before turning off the heat. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water and drain the rest. Put the cooked pasta and broccoli back to the pot.
While cooking the pasta, prepare the sauce. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a medium pan on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 1 minute or until the garlic is soft.
Add the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes to the pan. Cook and stir frequently for about 2 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of water and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir frequently for another 3 minutes or until thickened. Turn off the heat.
Add the sauce to the cooked pasta and broccoli, along with butter and mascarpone cheese and half of the reserved cooking water. Cook on medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until pasta is coated. Stir vigorously.
Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with pecorino cheese and serve.

Notes

For the Italian seasoning, you can use whole dried basil, sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary, or marjoram.
For the broccoli, cut off and discard about 1/2 inch of the stem.
If the pasta looks dry at the last step, gradually add the reserved cooking water until the desired consistency is achieved.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes