Dinner 8 of 20
Garlic Parmesan Pasta + Broccoli
One pot cooks the pasta and the broccoli. One skillet turns garlic, olive oil, chili flakes, Parmesan, and a splash of pasta water into a sauce that clings. There is no cream in this and nobody will believe you.
30 minutes · Low cleanup · serves 3 · ~20g protein per serving, mostly from the Parmesan and pasta
Ingredients
Equipment
large pot · large skillet · chef's knife · cutting board · tongs · measuring cup (for pasta water) · grater
The steps
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Cook Mode walks these one at a time, with timers and a way out when things go sideways.
The idea
Pasta water + cheese + fat = sauce from nothing. Garlic's perfect color is straw, not toast, and the cloudy water is an ingredient, not waste.
New tonight
Umami
Substitutions
- broccoli → frozen broccoli, green beans, frozen peas, or chopped kale. Frozen vegetables go in at the same 3-minutes-left mark, no thawing.
- spaghetti → any pasta shape in the cupboard. Short shapes are easier to eat one-handed with a baby on your arm.
- Parmesan → Pecorino (saltier — ease up on added salt) or Grana Padano
- chili flakes → black pepper only, or a little lemon zest
Tomorrow
- Crispy pasta fry-up — leftovers into an oiled hot skillet, pressed flat, left alone until the bottom crisps. Better than it sounds. Much better.
- Pasta frittata — leftovers stirred into 4 beaten eggs, cooked gently in the skillet until set. Lunch for two, done in ten minutes.
Keeps 3 days in the fridge; the sauce tightens as it chills and loosens right back up. Reheat with a splash of water and a lid; starches want their water back.
Make ahead
Garlic can be sliced and Parm grated in the morning; keep both covered in the fridge. The dish itself is best made start to finish — it only takes 30 minutes.