Easy Mushroom Broccoli Pasta

Bucatini pasta with broccoli and mushrooms in a large nonstick skillet.

4.69 from 16 votes

Easy Mushroom Broccoli Pasta

This easy mushroom broccoli pasta is the ultimate quick and healthy weeknight dinner. There's tons of flavor, thanks to caramelized onions, garlic and Parmesan cheese.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Vegetable Pasta, Vegetarian Pasta

Servings: Servings

Calories: 279kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion cut in half and thinly sliced
¼ cup water
8 ounces crimini mushrooms thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 ounces bucatini pasta (See Note 1)
2 cups small broccoli florets
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (See Note 2 for vegetarian info)
¼ cup minced flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cover and cook until the onions are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add ¼ cup water, cover the skillet again and cook until the onions are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Stir in the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and just starting to brown. Stir in the garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and red pepper flakes.
While the onions are caramelizing, cook the pasta. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Season well with kosher salt. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, until the pasta is al dente. One minute before the end of the cooking time, add the broccoli florets.
IMPORTANT: Before draining the pasta, scoop out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. This starchy water will be used to make the sauce. You may not need all of it.
Drain the pasta and broccoli into a colander. Transfer to the skillet with the onions and mushrooms.
Add the Parmesan cheese, parsley, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ cup of the pasta cooking water. Using tongs, toss everything together until the cheese melts to form a sauce, coating the pasta. Use more of the pasta cooking water, as needed.
Taste and season with additional salt and ground pepper as desired.

Video

Notes

Note 1: Almost any pasta shape works in this recipe. I like a thicker noodle like bucatini, but you could use other long noodles such as spaghetti, linguini or fettucine. Or try penne pasta, farfalle or rotini.

Note 2: Traditionally, Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian because it is made using calf rennet. However, several companies in North America are starting to make Parmesan cheeses using vegetable rennet, which is compliant for a vegetarian diet. For example, the Bel Gioioso brand makes a vegetarian Parmesan, specifically noted on the label.

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using the LoseIt! calculator. While I attempt to provide information that is as accurate as possible, you should calculate the nutritional information independently before relying on it.

Nutrition