Pasta with Roasted Broccoli & Walnuts

Taste: ***
Difficulty: Easy
Cleanup: Fast

I made this quick & easy but super flavorful pasta dish on Sunday night.

I bought a bag of broccoli florets which saved me from chopping.  I also used farfalle because that’s what I had on hand. The only other modification I made was adding in some red pepper flakes at the end for a little kick!

Tim and I both gobbled this dish up!

Orecchiette with Roasted Broccoli & Walnuts
Real Simple, February 2009

• 12 ounces orecchiette or some other short pasta (3 cups)
• 1 bunch broccoli (1 1/2 pounds), cut into small florets
• 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)

Heat oven to 400° F.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.

Meanwhile, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss the broccoli, walnuts, oil, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until the broccoli is tender, 18 to 20 minutes.

Toss the pasta with the broccoli mixture, butter, and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. (Add more water if the pasta seems dry.)

Sprinkle with the Parmesan before serving.