Orecchiette Pasta with Broccoli, Garlic and Chilli
Updated May 13, 2026, Published Feb 22, 2018
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Orecchiette pasta with broccoli, garlic and chilli and topped with Parmigiano cheese and fresh lemon. This recipe is super easy and full of flavour, perfect for busy weeknights when you need a delicious and nourishing meal on the table, fast.
Living in Italy, I once had a discussion with a few friends about their favourite pasta dish. Broccoli pasta was mentioned more than once.
Broccoli pasta? Not an undeniably delicious cacio e pepe or umami-rich carbonara? Ragu, surely it’s ragu alla bolognese? Nope, broccoli pasta was top of the list, and although I would be lying if I said it beats those three dishes for me, it’s still very delicious.
Since there is no meat or fancy ingredients involved, it’s low cost, uses very simple, everyday ingredients, and the whole family loves it (I usually omit the chilli when making it for my daughter). You can opt to make it cheesy or fresh and zingy with lemon (see our notes on that below), either way it’s SO good.
See the full recipe below, including step-by-step photos, variations and our top tips. Enjoy!
Love Orecchiette pasta? Check out some of our other favourites, Orecchiette alla Positanese (Sausage, Tomato and Burrata) and Orecchiette with ‘Nduja Sugo.
Ingredient notes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It- Orecchiette – I love this pasta shape, and it works so well with this broccoli sauce because it coats it perfectly. It’s not the easiest shape to find, so another small shape would work just as well, such as small pasta shells, rigatoni or penne.
- Broccoli – Use one large or two small. Romanesco or cauliflower would also work really well, just use them in the same way as broccoli.
- Garlic – you can add more if preferred. I don’t recommend using garlic powder.
- Shallot – You can use white onion instead, but you’ll need to saute that for a few minutes before adding the garlic and chilli, as it’ll take longer to soften.
- Fresh red chilli – use as much as you like, I like to deseed mine first and use between half to one whole chilli, depending on the heat. You can also use dried chilli flakes to taste instead.
- Vegetable stock – I prefer using low-sodium stock so I can control the amount of salt added. You can also use chicken stock, which works well.
Recipe tips
Skip the chilli – if you’re making this for kids or just don’t feel like any heat, you can leave out the chilli.
Emulsify the sauce – if the liquid has mostly evaporated after cooking the broccoli, you can add some reserved pasta water (about 1/2 – 1 cup/ 125ml-250ml). I always add an extra splash of water after adding the pasta until the pasta is well coated in the sauce.
Sauce consistency – for a smoother/saucier consistency, you can blitz the broccoli (either all of it or half of it) with some pasta water using an immersion blender before adding the pasta. Do this at the end when the broccoli is cooked.
Add sausage – sausage is a delicious addition to this sauce. You can either chop them into small pieces or remove them from the skins, and brown the meat after adding shallot, garlic and chilli.
Parmigiano vs Lemon
I like to use a little of both in this dish, but if you’re craving something more savoury and cheesy, you can skip the lemon and add more cheese.
If you are craving freshness, then skip the cheese and add more lemon to taste; you can even add some zest, which works really well.
This is what I do with our ricotta pasta sauce, using these two ingredients to change the flavour depending on what I feel like or crave.
More quick pasta recipes to try
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Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
Orecchiette Pasta with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 14 oz (400g) orecchiette pasta , (or other short pasta shape)
- 1 large broccoli
- 1 shallot
- ½-1 fresh red chilli, (use between 1/2-1 whole chilli depending on taste)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock , (can also use chicken stock)
- 3-4 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- Fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well.
- Cut the stalk from the broccoli and trim the tough outer layer with a knife or vegetable peeler. Finely chop the rest of the stalk, then chop the florets into small to medium-sized pieces. Set aside (photo 1).
- Meanwhile, finely chop the shallot, garlic and chilli. Heat a large pan on a medium-low heat and add around 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shallot, garlic and chilli and saute for 2-3 minutes until softened (photos 2 and 3).
- Next, stir in the chopped broccoli and add 2 cups (500ml) of vegetable stock. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer on a medium heat for 15 minutes (photo 4). After 10 minutes of cooking the broccoli, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
- After 15 minutes, remove the lid and simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. The broccoli should be soft and starting to break down. If there is not much liquid left in the pan, add around ½ cup (125ml) of pasta water to emulsify it (photo 5).
- Once the pasta is cooked, transfer it to the broccoli, stirring to coat it in the sauce. Add more pasta water if needed (I usually add another ½ cup (125ml) at this point) (photo 6).
- Turn off the heat and add 3-4 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and stir it in until melted. Finally, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and serve.
Notes
- Chilli – the heat/spiciness of fresh red chillies vary so you can opt to use between 1/2 to a whole red chilli depending on your tolerance. I like to deseed my chilli and remove the white membrane inside. You can also use dried chilli flakes instead.
- Storage – will keep well in the fridge for 1-2 days. The pasta can be eaten cold, at room temperature or reheated on the stove until hot. Add more water to emulsify the sauce as you are reheating it.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love the flavors here. I’d throw in some white wine to the sauce to round it out and help deglaze.
Good idea, thanks Alyssa!