Scrumptious one pot cheese pasta recipe. Packed with broccoli, peas, and 3 separate cheese, this One Pot Broccoli and 3 Cheese Pasta is a family favourite weeknight meal.
Broccoli has long been one of my favourite foods. Paired with cheese it is catapulted into the exceptionally tasty foods that I could eat non-stop. I had zero idea how good it is with mascarpone cheese until I made this recipe and now that show stopping duo is showing up everywhere (like on top of the pizza we just had for lunch).
I’m grateful the broccoli is packed with various vitamins and minerals (Vit C, Vit K and some iron notably) so that I can work it into family loving comfort food dishes like this One Pot Broccoli and 3 Cheese Pasta.
This dinner is the easiest of recipes. There’s only one pot to clean and it comes together in about 15 minutes, 20 minutes prep time included. For me, that makes it perfect for busy weeknights where the last thing I want to do is cook anything that takes time to make and clean up afterwards.
It doesn’t hurt that most kids love this kind of pasta so that means a pleasant meal with everyone digging in nicely (unless you’re like me with one child who hates cheese …. I know. I am trying to figure out how this happened as well).
I used Orecchiette as the pasta here, but any shorter pasta, such as macaroni, would do. I added peas for extra fibre and iron. Between the vegetables and cheese, there’s quite a bit of protein and enough iron for me to not stress too much about making this a meatless dish.
The leftovers were sprinkled with some crispy bacon which was a nice addition of crunchy texture.
Not into one of these cheeses? Any good melting cheese will work, like Fontina, Gouda, Gruyère, Havarti, or Monterey Jack if you require a substitution. I have to say the mascarpone cheese made this dish for me, but if you don’t like mascarpone or don’t know where to find it, cream cheese will work well.
I had made it a few times to get the recipe down pat, but I loved this version the best. The mascarpone lends itself to making recipes feel luxurious without any effort; perfectly smooth and decadent.
Here are a few more one pot pasta recipes we love:
- One Pot Spring Pasta
- One Pot Herb and Garlic Pasta with Chicken
- One Pot Bacon Mushroom Swiss Burger Pasta
- One Pot Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Say buh-bye to dishes and hello to a quick, but comforting One Pot Broccoli and 3 Cheese Pasta.
- 1/2 lbs (250 grams) orecchiette, or other short pasta
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 medium lemon, zest only (finely zest with a grater or microplane)
- 60 grams goat's cheese (chèvre)
- 100 grams cheddar, thinly sliced
- 150 grams mascarpone
- 1 cup (250 ml) cream (whipping cream)
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 250 grams (1/2 lbs) broccoli, cut into florets and small pieces (if using the stem peel and cut into very small pieces, no larger than 10 cm)
- 1 cup peas, fresh, frozen or canned
- 1/4 tsp red pepper chili flakes (optional)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste if desired
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, plus more to taste if desired
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Put pasta, garlic, lemon zest, goat's cheese, cheddar, mascarpone, cream, water and olive oil into a large pot over high heat.
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Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and add broccoli and peas. Season lightly with salt and pepper and chili flakes if using.
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Cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente and sauce is reduced* (sauce will continue to reduce as pot cools).
* Letting the pot cool for 5-10 minutes will greatly thicken the sauce if it's at all still runny.
Recipe inspired by Olive Magazine.
Enjoy! xo
