Nothing beats a good plate of corzetti pasta with broccoli and walnuts on a chilly winter night. In our family, we’re pretty much always in the mood for some broccoli! Braised, roasted or sautèed, broccoli is an ingredient we keep turning to for comfort.
A dish with a lot of texture, this recipe is most satisfying weeknight dinners we know of. Plus, it comes together in the time it takes to cook the pasta (If you make the corzetti ahead!).
Nuts are not optional in this primo piatto: they provide much-needed crunchiness. However, you can replace walnuts with almonds, pecans or pine nuts.
Corzetti Pasta with Broccoli and Walnuts
- 1 large bunch of broccoli, stemmed
- 1 garlic clove
- 5 olive oil-packed anchovies
- 1 cup of walnuts, chopped and toasted
- extra virgin olive oil
- pecorino romano cheese, grated
- salt and pepper
Start by chopping the broccoli. Cover the bottom of a pan with extra virgin olive oil, add the garlic clove and the anchovies and cook, stirring frequently, until the anchovies dissolve into oil. Remove the garlic clove.
Add the chopped broccoli and sautè until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the fresh pasta following your favorite corzetti recipe. Cook in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and reserve some of the pasta cooking liquid. Add the cooked corzetti to the broccoli pan and moisten with some pasta cooking water. Divide pasta among plates and serve immediately with some grated pecorino romano e chopped toasted walnuts.