Broccoli and Garlic Penne Pasta Recipe

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Most Helpful Positive Review

Feb 01, 2008

Surprising light and tasty, and quite easy to make. I did tweak the recipe a bit: - doubled the broth, - substituted 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh basil for the dried stuff - added extra garlic - added 1 chicken breast, cubed (for 2 people) - added 1 1/2 Tbsp each cornflour and water to thicken it I cooked the chicken in the broth for about 5-7 minutes before adding the broccoli. Don't be tempted to skip the lemon juice on the cooked pasta - it really adds a bit of zip to the whole dish.

—SLIPHGRRL

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jul 24, 2008

I found this to be very bland. After following the recipe as written I wound up adding all kinds of stuff to give it more flavor. I will not make this again.

—creativesense

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71 Ratings

Jul 04, 2008

This is just "ok". Nothing to write home about/serve company, but still a pleasant weeknight meal and eons better than fast food. I made it as is (minus the black pepper, of course) and I doubled the garlic (which i sauteed in a dash of EVOO before adding the rest)...ok, I guess not quite "as is". I also added a few dashes of minced onion (next time I will use "real", I just didn't have any). Start the pasta water boiling before you do anything else (I had my broccoli ready and waiting before my pasta water was boiling) and start your pasta before you begin to chop your broccoli. This does NOT take long at all, as long as it takes for the pasta water to boil and pasta to cook. I used whole wheat penne and topped w/parm cheese (grated, all I had) and a dash of crushed red pepper. I'm not a huge basil fan, but it was such a scant amount it was a nice touch, as was the lemon juice. I don't know that this would be as good w/frozen broc. I'm excited to see how it is for lunch tomorrow. UPDATE: Since I've made this a ton of times since my initial review, I must like it more than I thought! I'm amending my review to a "5", w/the "caveat" to add MORE garlic. With the addition of plenty of garlic & some crushed red pepper (along w/whole wheat pasta), this is a great simply healthy meal!

—lovestohost

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Nov 30, 2007

This was simple and delicious! Very low fat, and the kids loved it:-) I added cut up chicken breast, and about a TBL of cornstarch and water just to thicken the broth a tad...made it stick to the noodles a bit:-) Thanks!

—momto7in9

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Dec 22, 2008

This is one of my favorites for simple weekenight cooking. I generally use whole-wheat or spinach pasta because I find that it holds up better to the cooked broccoli, and the texture provides a nice contrast. Also, I usually double the garlic to give it a little more flavor. If you still find it to be a little bland, add some crushed red pepper flakes when you serve! Provecho!

—Elizabeth

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Mar 11, 2009

I enjoyed this dish, although I will admit that I did make some changes based on what some of the other reviews said. I made a roux using 2TBSP butter and 2TBSP cornstarch, and added that to thicken the sauce up. I also added an onion to the original sauce and used 1.5 cups of the chicken broth. I applied all herbs and seasonings to taste.

—shelanm

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Sep 05, 2008

Not the greatest recipe by itself, but I think with a little more tweaking it might work. I used double or more chicken broth and added cornstartch per other reviewers. I also tried adding a little pesto, and that gave it a tad more flavor. Still pretty bland though. I'll try adding more if I ever do decide to make it again, which isn't likely.

—heather88

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Jul 22, 2008

Made the recipe using exact measurements. Was to bland for me. I added more cheese,more broth,cut up cooked chicken breast. Was ok, my four year old nephew devoured it though!

—Pam from L.I.

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