One Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta

Name: One Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 4 heads broccoli, chopped at head, most of the stalk removed (about 5 cups ); 10 oz egg noodles; 3 tablespoons butter; 3 tablespoons flour; 3 cloves garlic (minced ); 1/2 large white onion (minced); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 4 1/2 cups stock (vegetable or chicken); 1 cup milk; 1 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese (shredded )

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This One Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta is a cheesy, creamy, dreamy dinner that's packed full of broccoli, and on the table in just 25 minutes!

It's another one pot wonder, friends! And let me tell you, this one has become one of our go-to! My girls and my husband absolutely love this One Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta, and I love how fast and easy it is, plus the amount of broccoli it's packed full with! This meal has come to the rescue for us so many times lately when we're approaching dinner time but had nothing planned!

Ingredients Needed

stock, flour, butter, noodles, broccoli, onion, garlic, milk, garlic powder, parsley, and oregano on counter

Broccoli - Fresh is always preferred, but you can definitely use frozen, too!
Pasta - Our favorite for this recipe are egg noodles, but you can use whatever you have!
Cheese - We love a sharp white cheddar for this, especially from one of our favorites, Tillamook!
Garlic and Onion - Staples for our meals! Our go to for onions is white, but yellow would be great, too.
Milk or Cream - We use 2% milk for this, but you could use whatever you have, or even do a mixture with cream to make it even richer and creamier!
Stock - To keep this vegetarian friendly, use your favorite Vegetable Stock (or make your own!) or if it doesn't need to be vegetarian, we often make it with Chicken Stock, too! Low sodium and broth is not as flavorful.
Butter and Flour - For your roux! This is what will help thicken the sauce.
Garlic Powder - We love the added bit of garlic, but you could also use onion powder, too.
Parsley and Oregano - We use dried, but you can absolutely use fresh, too. See recipe notes.

What is a Roux?

Very simply, a roux is a mixture of fat and flour. It's key to thickening and flavoring gravy, soups, and sauces. You can use any kind of fat you have - often with gravy it's made with fat from meat that you're cooking. But for vegetarian dishes, butter works great and you can still get a lot of flavor from just butter and flour!

To make it all you do is add the butter and flour to your pot and mix it all together, stirring frequently and letting it cook for about 2 minutes until it's bubbly and foamy and starts to look like a thick paste. This quick roux is known as a White Roux which is cooked enough to just get rid of the raw flour flavor and is a great base for any sauce or soup. If you want to add even more flavor, then you can get into the other rouxs (blonde and brown) that take longer to cook which creates a mild to strong nutty flavor.

Easy to Make!

As with any weeknight one-pot meal, this recipe is so simple to make and comes together fast!

Make a roux
Add garlic and onions to sauté
Whisk in stock and cream
Add broccoli and pasta and let cook
Mix in cheese
Done!

Easy peasy, right?

overhead of a wooden spoon in a creamy pot of pasta with broccoli

25 minutes is all you need to create this creamy and dreamy weeknight winner!

Customizable

This recipe is also a great starting point and lends itself to a lot of customization!

Make it even creamier: While I like to use all 2% milk, you could also use all whole or 3/4 cup of milk and then 1/4 cup of cream to make it richer.

Add other veggies: Broccoli is by far our favorite in this, but you could add almost any other veggie you'd like! We've also used cauliflower, zucchini, bell peppers, and spinach (toward the end of cooking).

Use Other Cheeses: White sharp cheddar is definitely our favorite, but you could also use fresh parmesan or swap in some mozzarella!

Pasta: You could also make this with spaghetti, penne, elbows, anything! Just keep in mind the cooking time (especially if using fresh pasta) and check for the doneness of your pasta, you want to lower the temp and add the cheese when the pasta is just about al dente.

Add a Protein: Chicken, shrimp, or tofu would be a great addition to this dish! It's a great way to use up some leftover cooked chicken or you could cook the protein separately and then add toward the end.

a wooden spoon holding some creamy pasta and broccoli

Make Ahead

Another great part of this recipe is that it's great to make ahead and to freeze! It will last up to 3 days in the fridge and then you can freeze for up to 3 months.

We love to store this in little individual containers in the freezer for a perfectly portioned quick lunch or dinner!

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FAQs

How do I reheat it from frozen?

Heat it back up by taking it out to thaw in fridge, or by adding it frozen into a hot pan to hear through, or heat in the microwave.

Can I use frozen broccoli?

Definitely. You can add it frozen right into the pot.

How small do I chop the broccoli?

For the best broccoli to pasta distribution, cut the broccoli right where the head meets the stalk to create florets with very little stalk. Then give the short florets a quick chop too, to make into smaller pieces.

Can I use fresh homemade pasta?

Absolutely!! Add broccoli first and then add fresh pasta with only 2 minutes left of cooking time as fresh pasta cooks much faster.

Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, I n stagram, and Pinterest!