Broccoli & White Bean Pasta with Lemon

25 min · Easy · Serves 1

630 kcal per serving · 28g protein

A southern Italian way to make a small portion of pasta into a properly nourishing dinner: broccoli boiled in the pasta pot, white beans crushed into garlic and chili, and a splash of the starchy pasta water to turn it all into a creamy sauce with no cream. The broccoli is cooked soft on purpose, so part of it breaks down and coats the pasta. Lemon and Parmesan go in at the very end.

Ingredients

• 70 g Short pasta (orecchiette or penne)
• 5 g Salt, for the pasta water
• 150 g Broccoli, in small florets
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 cloves Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 pinch Chili flakes
• 100 g White beans (canned), drained and rinsed
• Lemon, zest and juice × 1
• 20 g Parmesan, grated
• 0.5 g Black pepper

Method

1. Boil the pasta

   

   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add the salt for the pasta water and the pasta, and boil for 6 minutes, stirring once.

2. Add the broccoli to the pot

   

   Add the broccoli florets to the same pot and boil for 4 minutes more, until the pasta is tender and the broccoli is soft enough to crush with a spoon.

3. Save pasta water and drain

   

   Scoop out half a mug of the starchy pasta water and set the mug aside, then drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander.

4. Warm the garlic and beans

   

   Return the empty pot to medium heat, add the olive oil, sliced garlic and chili flakes and stir for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the drained white beans and cook for 2 minutes, crushing half the white beans with the spoon.

5. Toss everything into a sauce

   

   Add the drained pasta and broccoli, the mug of pasta water and the lemon zest and juice, and stir hard for 1 minute, until the broccoli breaks up and a creamy coating clings to the pasta.

6. Finish with Parmesan

   

   Take the pot off the heat, stir in half the grated Parmesan and serve in a bowl with the remaining Parmesan and the black pepper on top.