Charred broccoli pasta with garlic white wine sauce
This dish will leave you satisfied without feeling heavy, but doesn't skimp on flavor.
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If you’re anything like me, you’ve been living almost exclusively off your grill this summer. It’s been oppressively hot and we don’t have air conditioning, so any meal that can be made outside is a good meal. Our oven, which normally gets steady use, must be wondering if we’ve abandoned it.
Grilling can be a very healthy way to cook, but any benefits you may see are negated when you’re cooking a steady rotation of meat, especially cured or cased meats. Delicious as they may be, eating them for long enough will leave you feeling weighed down and heavy. I wrote about chana masala last week, and how one of the things that initially drew me to it was a desire for better vegetarian recipes. Pasta is an easy meal to make without meat, so we’ve spent quite a while cycling through vegetarian recipes. None of them quite hit the mark, though. Sometimes they tried to throw too much stuff into the dish, or sometimes they would fall short on flavor, but whatever the reason, I couldn’t find a simple light pasta dish that made me happy. So, I decided to put together my own.
Broccoli is a wonderful vegetable that is versatile enough to work in a wide variety of cuisines, and also substantial enough to work as the main focus of a dish. I was never terribly fond of it, though, until I tried it charred in the oven. Lightly charred broccoli has a delightful nutty aroma, and the slightly crispy edges give it a nice change in texture. Add it to a simple sauce of butter, olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, lemon juice, and white wine, and you have a simple, straight-forward pasta that is easy to make but doesn’t leave you feeling like you need to lie down afterwards.
If you need any extra motivation to try this, our two year old daughter loves it. It can be a battle to get kids to eat enough vegetables, but getting them onto their plate with some pasta, garlic, and butter should assuage some more temperamental palates. And if it doesn’t, you tried. Meal time can be tough, and you’re doing your best.
It sounds simple, but trust me. This recipe is worth turning on your oven for in July.
Charred broccoli pasta with garlic white wine sauce
Serves: 3-4
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
2 medium broccoli crowns (or 1 large)
5 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 lemons, sliced in half
1/2 pound pasta (I prefer shorter shapes but anything will work)
3 tbsp butter
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut broccoli crown into small florets, then add to mixing bowl with 4 tbsp olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat, and place on baking sheet. Cut lemons in half and place on the baking sheet, cut side down. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until the broccoli is charred. Remove from oven and let cool.
While the broccoli is roasting, bring salted water to a boil for the pasta and cook according to the directions on package.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter and remaining tbsp olive oil. Stir in the garlic and red pepper and cook for about 1 minute, then increase the heat slightly and pour in the wine. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the alcohol smell has cooked off. Add pasta and broccoli to skillet and combine. Squeeze juice from one of the roasted lemons into the skillet, and add about 2/3 of the parsley. Salt and pepper to taste once again and combine, then serve topped with remaining parsley and parmesan cheese.