Spaghetti with Broccoli and Tomato Sauce
For years I would try everything to get broccoli and other green vegetables
into my husband and daughters. This was one of the more successful attempts,
as they all like Italian flavors and pasta. As broccolini has become more
popular in the market, I've substituted broccolini for the harsher flavor of
the broccoli. You can either serve the pasta, the sauce and the vegetables
separately, arranged as directed below, or you can toss them all together in
the pasta pot after draining the pasta. The flavor is more intense when they
are all mixed together, but it looks prettier when the sauce is arranged in a
circle around the broccoli.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch broccoli, washed and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 3 T. olive oil
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1 tsp. parsley
- 1 pound thin spaghetti
- 4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
- optional hot pepper flakes
Boil about 1 quart of salted water for the spaghetti. Put broccoli in a
microwave proof bowl. Heat olive oil until very hot. Cook garlic quickly
until just barely brown. Remove garlic quickly to bowl containing broccoli.
Cover broccoli with plastic wrap, and cook until just fork tender in
microwave. Begin cooking the spaghetti. Meanwhile, in pot with olive oil,
put remaining ingredients except for Parmesan and hot pepper. Gently simmer
the sauce while the broccoli is cooking and the spaghetti is cooking. Drain
spaghetti. On each plate, place portion of spaghetti, broccoli in center, and
sauce around the edge of spaghetti. Pass parmesan and optional hot pepper.
Serves 4.