Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato & Broccoli Pasta
Recipe Takeover
This week we test-drove a Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato and Broccoli Pasta from Cookie + Kate (website here!). Did it taste as delicious as their photos looked? Did it get rave reviews, and how easy was it to make? Read below to find out more and link to the recipe to try this one at your home!
Ingredients
Theirs
- ½ pound dried whole wheat bow-tie or spiral-shaped pasta
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if necessary
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (around 5 garlic cloves)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ pound broccoli (about 4 medium, tightly packed florets), chopped into small, bite-sized pieces
- Sea salt or kosher salt
- ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 2 to 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled while still cold (around ½ cup)
- ⅓ cup coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Parmesan)
- 15 pitted kalamata olives, chopped (optional)
- ½ small lemon, juiced
Ours
- One 8-oz package Banza gluten-free penne pasta (here)
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if necessary
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (around 5 garlic cloves)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ pound broccoli (about 4 medium, tightly packed florets), chopped into small, bite-sized pieces
- Sea salt or kosher salt
- ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled while still cold (around ½ cup)
- ⅓ cup coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 15 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
- ½ small lemon, juiced
Our Notes
This recipe has become a staple recipe in our home — we love it that much! It does take some time to prep and measure some of the ingredients. If I have time, I like to chop the olives, tomatoes and broccoli a day ahead, and even measure out the cheese, in preparation for a next-day cook. You can easily do this same-time, but I like to save cook and clean-up time to really enjoy my meal.
We made this recipe gluten-free by using Banza gluten-free chickpea noodles — you can use any gluten free noodle for this but a thicker, heartier noodle (like a penne) works best to stand up to the robust ingredients in the recipe.
In terms of timing, we chose not to cook the pasta ahead of time, as we feel it can lead to a drier, gummier gluten-free noodle. Instead we simmered the garlic first; then we started the broccoli and the pasta (cooking) at the same time, since the noodles required about 8-10 minutes of cook time. This allowed us to time the finish of the noodles minutes prior to our other ingredients and sauce being finished and ready to combine.
If you don’t like olives or don’t have any on hand, feel free to omit and substitute a can of rinsed cannellini or garbanzo beans.
Overall this was a deliciously creamy and tart pasta recipe – the lemon, sundried tomato, and goat/feta cheese add a unique richness and acidity that makes this dish both creamy and bright.
Find the full Recipe and Instructions HERE from Cookie + Kate for Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato and Broccoli Pasta! Let us know what you think below, or any recipes you’d like us to test-drive next! Happy eating.
