Creamy Pasta with Pork and Broccoli

Creamy pasta with pork and broccoli. In this hearty weeknight pasta, broccoli and ground pork pair up for a satisfying indulgent dinner. It’s fast, simple and jazzed up with cream and Parmesan for a nutty, salty finishing touch.

You only need a few ingredients to make this luscious dish, so this creamy pasta fits the bill perfectly. And with the entire head of broccoli tucked into that sauce, this veg-heavy pasta ensures everyone will get an extra serving of vegetables. 
Great and easy on any weeknight but fancy and luxurious enough to serve at a dinner party.

We simmer ground pork and broccoli in chicken broth and half-and-half, creating a velvety cream sauce to toss with any kind of pasta. It has plenty of luxuriousness from the pork, Parmesan and cream. While broccoli adds a bright vegetal flavor. 

We cook pasta until al dente, then add it to the sauce along with a splash of starchy cooking water for a glossy, saucy finish. Adding some pasta water allows you to control just how thick you’d prefer the sauce to be.

The recipe is flexible, so play around with your favorite ingredients. Use Italian sausage, ground veal or chicken. Also, it’s an excellent way to use whatever vegetables you’d like to fold in. If you’re not a broccoli fan, swap in peas, spinach or cherry tomatoes. 

A truly satisfying pasta dish that’s chock full of vegetable goodness and lots of flavor. You’ll love it.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step video.

RECIPE NOTES

This pasta is incredibly versatile:

• play around with your favorite ingredients, add more veggies or swap broccoli for peas, cherry tomatoes, kale or spinach
• use Italian sausage, ground veal or chicken 
• you can make this dish with penne, orecchiette or rigatoni, or with long pasta shapes like tagliatelle or fettuccine
• add canned beans or chickpeas for an earthy touch
• swap chicken broth for white wine
• add some extra red-pepper flakes to give this dish a spicy kick

More delicious broccoli pasta, please!

• 15 minute broccoli pasta with basil oil 

• Brown Butter Broccoli and Walnut Pasta 

• Garlic Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry with Peanuts 

Recipe Video

 

Yield: serves 4

Creamy Pasta with Pork and Broccoli

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 250 g/8.8 oz pasta

• 400 g/14 oz ground meat, I used 70% pork and 30% beef

• 1 small broccoli
• 
1 small onion, finely chopped
• 
4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 
250 ml /1 cup vegetable or chicken broth, low sodium

• 3/4 cup/180 ml half-and-half
• 30 g/1 oz grated Parmezan

• 1 tsp each: sweet paprika, oregano, black pepper, salt

• toasted pine nuts, for serving

• grated Parmesan, for serving

• red chili flakes, for serving

Instructions

1. Set a large pot filled with water over high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, chop the onion and mince the garlic.
3. Cut the broccoli into florets, then cut the florets into small bite-sized pieces. Peel the main stem from the broccoli, and finely dice.
4. When water is boiling, add salt and pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
   
5. Set a large non-stick pan or Dutch oven over medium high heat, add olive oil. Add ground meat, break up in pieces with a wooden spoon and cook until slightly browned, 5 minutes.
6. Add onion and garlic, sauté for 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
7. Add broccoli pieces and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the broth and stir in the spices. Bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes.
8. Add cream, simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
9. Stir in Parmesan, then toss with pasta. Taste and adjust salt. Add 1/4 cup pasta cooking water.
10. Divide pasta among bowls, top with grated Parmesan, pine nuts and some extra chili flakes. Enjoy!

Notes

Calories Per Serving: 547 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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