Broccoli Pasta with Crunchy Breadcrumbs: A Green Thread Through the Years
- Made al Dente
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
A quiet bowl of fusilli tangled in tender broccoli and olive oil, anchored by anchovies and lemon — made when the cold lingers and the market stalls fill with brassicas.
There isn’t one day I recall making this dish — rather, it returns with the season like a remembered scent. I cook it whenever the broccoli is rich and plentiful, in the quieter weeks after winter’s peak. It's not a showpiece, but a ritual — a weekday symphony of green and gold, layered with memory.
My mother used to make it with unthinking grace. There was always a large pot bubbling on the back burner, steam fogging the window glass, the kitchen warm with the scent of garlic softened in olive oil. She’d mash the broccoli into something creamy and almost sweet, folding it through short pasta with anchovy and heat — no frills, just intuition. As children, we didn’t notice the anchovies. We noticed how it tasted like home.
Years later, I added the breadcrumb topping — lemon zest, parsley, a handful of Grana Padano toasted into a golden crumble — because I wanted contrast, a flash of brightness. Something that would crackle on top and echo the salt and fat below. It changed the dish just enough, without disturbing its soul.
I still make it when I crave comfort without heaviness. When I want a meal that doesn’t ask much but gives everything — warmth, memory, flavor. Some days I use rigatoni. Other days, orecchiette or fusilli, the way my mother did. The shape always matters.
Notes for the Cook
This traditional Italian broccoli pasta is easy and deeply satisfying — a classic of cucina povera, elevated with a zesty breadcrumb topping. Use a short pasta with curves or ridges to trap the creamy broccoli sauce. Choose fresh broccoli and good anchovies; their quality carries the dish.
SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 15 minutes | TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
Ingredients
For the Pasta and Sauce:
Short pasta (orecchiette, rigatoni, fusilli): 320g (12 oz or about 3 cups)
Broccoli, cut into florets: 500g (4 cups)
Olive oil: 3 tbsp
Garlic, thinly sliced: 2 cloves
Anchovy fillets, finely chopped: 4
Chili flakes: ½ tsp, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Breadcrumb Topping:
Breadcrumbs: 50g (½ cup)
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Lemon zest: Zest of ¼ untreated lemon
Fresh parsley, finely chopped: 2 tbsp
Grana Padano, finely grated: 30g (¼ cup)
Freshly ground black pepper
Quick Steps
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 10–15 minutes, until very soft. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and set aside, saving the water.
In the same water, cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
While the pasta cooks, make the topping: warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet. Add the breadcrumbs and stir over medium heat until golden brown and nutty, about 3–4 minutes. Off the heat, stir in lemon zest, parsley, grated cheese, and black pepper. Set aside.
In a wide skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and cook gently until fragrant but not browned. Stir in anchovies until they melt into the oil. Add chili flakes.
Tip in the cooked broccoli and mash it lightly with the back of a spoon. Add a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce — it should be creamy and rustic.
Toss the drained pasta into the skillet and stir to coat. Add more cooking water as needed to create a glossy finish. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Serve in warm bowls with a generous sprinkle of the zesty breadcrumb topping.
Top Tips
Use quality anchovies — they dissolve into umami-rich depth and transform the base of the sauce.
Don’t rush the broccoli — the longer it cooks, the softer and sweeter it becomes.
Breadcrumb topping keeps well — double the batch and store the extra in an airtight jar for future pastas or soups.
