Giangi's Kitchen

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Broccoli with Lemon Rigatoni. One more dish of pasta for your repertoire. I love this recipe.

As you know, I love lemon and use it as often as possible. On every vegetable, instead of vinegar for my salad, over chicken, and yes, with pasta too.

This creamy lemon broccoli pasta recipe is not only deliciously creamy, the best part of this recipe is ready to be served at your table in less than 20 minutes. That, to me, is a bonus.

Quick and easy, this Italian pasta recipe will please the palate of everyone you serve.

Broccolis

They are excellent for your health as they contain vitamins and minerals. Also known for reducing inflammation and improving blood sugar. Broccoli also contains beta-carotene.

A green vegetable that comes into florets, which may resemble miniature trees.

You can enjoy them raw with a dip, Yogurt Feta Sauce, or steamed.

Roasted broccoli with olive oil and seasoning. Make excellent soups.

All in all a great vegetable to enjoy.

With this recipe, I used the stalk as well. Slice them to cook evenly. They are full of flavor.

Here are a few helpful tips for the ingredients needed to create this recipe

You can find the printable recipe with all the correct ingredient amounts at the bottom of this post. Besides the staple salt and pepper, you will need:

Unsalted butter: My favorite in my kitchen as it never changes the flavor of my food by oversalting it. 

Garlic: Crushed to infuse your cream with all the natural oils that it contains.  Please do not add more than the recipe requires, as it will overpower this delicate sauce. 

Broccoli: When you purchase your broccoli, ensure each floret is a bright green color. Use the florets and the stalks that you will slice and dice. 

Heavy cream: Gives richness and smoothness to the sauce. Follow the below instructions when adding it to your pan. 

Lemon: Lemon zest gives the natural essential oil to this dish. The lemon juice adds a depth of flavor to it. 

Rigatoni pasta: wide tubular pasta that is excellent with sauces. The inner tube collects all the juices, perfect once you bite into it. Penne can be a replacement, as well as ziti.

Pecorino Cheese: The pecorino gives a great bite to this dish. Of course, you can use Parmigiano if you have that on hand.

Equipment needed 

 I only recommend what I use and love. Therefore to achieve this recipe, I used the following:

Large pot for boiling the water

Le Creuset Braiser

Knife

Colander

Cheese Grater

Cooking tips and step by step to create this excellent broccoli with lemon rigatoni recipe.

Cooking the florets with the pasta at the end of the cooking process will soften them and give extra flavor to the pasta.

• Do cook the pasta al dente and drain it one minute before the package cooking instructions. Remember you will have to add them to the broccoli stalks and cream, and that will finish the cooking process.
• Make sure that the water is nicely salted while you cook your pasta.
• Do save a cup of the cooking water. You may and may not use it, but if your pasta gets too dry, it will be of great use.
• Have all your ingredients ready at cook time as this dish will be prepared relatively fast.
• When you mix lemon and heavy cream, the ladder breaks and loses the creamy liquid form. Add them both on the opposite sides of the pan and at low heat. The low heat will allow them both not to have a heat shock. Stirring them together gently will ensure that the two combine beautifully and are creamy.

We are huge fans of rigatoni in the family. However, penne, paccheri, or any tubular store-bought pasta will work wonderfully with this recipe. You want the sauce to get in the inside of the pasta.

Add some red pepper flakes to your sauce if you want to kick it up a notch..

What is pasta al “dente”?

Al dente means to cook the pasta to the bite. Overcooked pasta turns into mush, which is neither fun nor good.

In Italy, the pasta is always at “dente”, contrary to American or French standards.

However, because of the sauces that accompany the pasta, the cooking process continues on, thus making it perfect for enjoying once served.

Leftovers? How do I warm them up?

If you have some, no problem, warm the leftovers with a bit of water, a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over the medium-low stove, and stir to make sure each rigatoni pasta is well warmed.

I do not have a microwave in the house, thus cannot give you those instructions. Just be careful not to burn yourself when taking them to eat.

How to serve  this beautiful dish to your family and guests

When you warm and combine the cooked pasta with the lemon cream sauce, use a pretty pan that can go from stovetop to table. Use a trivet, I made that mistake one time, too many.

As you know, in Italy, there is a saying: You wait for the pasta. Pasta does not wait for you.

Make sure everyone is ready to sit at the table when you are ready to serve this dish. Pasta continues to cook even though it is out of the cooking water, thus becoming overcooked the longer it has to wait to be enjoyed.

I like serving my past on pasta dishes with loads of cheese.

Add a few small slices of lemon to each dish to give it that fancy restaurant look.

Most importantly, do not forget to load it up with cheese. I use pecorino as it has a sharp edge, and we all love it. Of course, Parmesan cheese is the perfect substitute for it.

If you enjoy this dish, check out these flavorful recipes:

Medallions of Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Guajillo Sauce

Shrimps and Grits

Farfalle with Peas, Ham, and Cream

Equipment and ingredients used to make this recipe

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Originally published on October 11, 2020. Updated on March 13, 2022