Orecchiette with broccoli is a pasta dinner of little ear-shaped pasta in a creamy broccoli and milk sauce with crispy speck, ready in about 35 minutes. It feeds 4 to 6 and comes together in one pot of boiling water and one skillet.
Why This Recipe Works
The broccoli is boiled until tender and then chopped very finely. Cut that small, it melts into the milk and turns the sauce smooth and green, with no cream needed.
Speck or smoked bacon goes into the hot oil first and cooks until brown and crispy. The fat it gives off flavors the whole sauce, and the crisp strips stay crunchy on top of the pasta.
Milk loosens the chopped broccoli into a sauce that clings to the pasta. Orecchiette’s small cups hold it, so every bite gets some green sauce.
Orecchiette with Broccoli Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 pound fresh or frozen broccoli
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 ounces speck or lean smoked bacon, rind removed, cut into small strips
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- Salt
- 1 1/4 cups (10 fluid ounces) milk
For the pasta
- 1 pound fresh or dried orecchiette or conchiglie
- 2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup)
- Freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Orecchiette with Broccoli
Cook the broccoli
- Boil the broccoli: Boil the broccoli in a pot of salted water until it is tender, then drain it well. Tender broccoli chops easily and blends into the sauce later.
- Chop it fine: Chop the cooked broccoli very finely. The smaller the pieces, the smoother the sauce will be.
Make the sauce
- Crisp the speck: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and fry the speck or bacon until it is brown and crispy. The rendered fat gives the sauce its smoky base.
- Add the garlic: Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Pull it off the heat if it starts to darken, since burnt garlic turns bitter.
- Add broccoli and milk: Add the chopped broccoli and a pinch of salt, then pour in the milk. Cook the sauce, stirring, until it is smooth.
Cook and toss the pasta
- Cook the pasta: Cook the orecchiette in boiling salted water for 6 minutes if fresh, or 15 to 18 minutes if dried, until al dente. Drain it.
- Toss and serve: Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss well with the Parmesan. Season with black pepper and serve right away, while the sauce is still loose.
Recipe Tips
- Frozen broccoli works: Frozen broccoli is fine here, since it gets chopped and blended into the sauce anyway. Boil it until fully tender.
- Watch the garlic: Garlic only needs about a minute in the hot oil. Keep the pan moving so it softens without browning.
- Save some pasta water: Keep a small cup of the pasta cooking water. If the sauce tightens up when you toss, a splash loosens it again.
- Salt with care: Speck, bacon and Parmesan are all salty. Taste the sauce before adding more salt at the end.
What To Serve With Orecchiette with Broccoli
Serve this pasta in warm bowls with extra grated Parmesan at the table. A simple tomato salad or a plate of sliced roasted peppers goes well next to it.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm the pasta in a skillet over low heat with a splash of milk until hot all the way through. The milk brings the sauce back to creamy.
- Freezer: The milk-based sauce can turn grainy after freezing, so this dish is best eaten fresh or from the fridge.
FAQs
Can I make orecchiette with broccoli without bacon?
Yes. Leave out the speck or bacon and fry the garlic in the olive oil instead. The dish becomes vegetarian, and a pinch of red pepper flakes adds some depth.
Can I use another pasta shape?
Conchiglie works, since its shells also catch the sauce. Any short pasta with cups or ridges, like small shells or cavatelli, is a good match.
Can I make this dish ahead?
You can boil and chop the broccoli a day ahead and keep it in the fridge. Make the sauce and cook the pasta just before serving so the bacon stays crisp.
Why is my sauce not smooth?
The broccoli was probably not chopped fine enough or not cooked long enough. Cook it until fully tender, chop it very small, and keep stirring as the milk heats.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 780 kcal
- Total Fat: 36g
- Total Carbohydrate: 86g
- Dietary Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 26g
Orecchiette with Broccoli
4
servings15
minutes20
minutes35
minutesOrecchiette in a smooth broccoli and milk sauce with garlic, crispy speck and grated Parmesan. A quick pasta dinner for 4 to 6 on the table in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients
- For the sauce
1 pound fresh or frozen broccoli
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces speck or lean smoked bacon, rind removed, cut into small strips
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Salt
1 1/4 cups (10 fluid ounces) milk
- For the pasta
1 pound fresh or dried orecchiette or conchiglie
2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup)
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Boil the broccoli: Boil the broccoli in a pot of salted water until it is tender, then drain it well. Tender broccoli chops easily and blends into the sauce later.
- Chop it fine: Chop the cooked broccoli very finely. The smaller the pieces, the smoother the sauce will be.
- Crisp the speck: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and fry the speck or bacon until it is brown and crispy. The rendered fat gives the sauce its smoky base.
- Add the garlic: Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Pull it off the heat if it starts to darken, since burnt garlic turns bitter.
- Add broccoli and milk: Add the chopped broccoli and a pinch of salt, then pour in the milk. Cook the sauce, stirring, until it is smooth.
- Cook the pasta: Cook the orecchiette in boiling salted water for 6 minutes if fresh, or 15 to 18 minutes if dried, until al dente. Drain it.
- Toss and serve: Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss well with the Parmesan. Season with black pepper and serve right away, while the sauce is still loose.
