Mafaldine Limone with Broccoli (Printer-Friendly)
Curly mafaldine tossed with bright lemon, tender broccoli, and Parmesan in a silky butter sauce.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 14 oz mafaldine pasta
→ Vegetables
02 - 10.5 oz broccoli florets
03 - 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
04 - Zest of 1 lemon
05 - Juice of 1 lemon
→ Dairy
06 - 1.75 oz grated Parmesan cheese
07 - 1.4 oz unsalted butter
08 - ¼ cup heavy cream (optional, for a silkier sauce)
→ Basics & Seasoning
09 - 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
10 - Salt and pepper, to taste
11 - Fresh basil or parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)
# How To Make It:
01 - Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the mafaldine and cook until al dente according to package directions.
02 - Three minutes before the pasta finishes cooking, add the broccoli florets directly to the boiling pasta water to blanch them until tender-crisp.
03 - Scoop out roughly ⅓ cup of the starchy pasta water and set aside. Drain the mafaldine and broccoli together in a colander.
04 - While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and gently sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant, taking care not to let it brown.
05 - Transfer the drained pasta and broccoli into the skillet. Toss everything to coat evenly in the garlicky butter.
06 - Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and heavy cream if using. Splash in the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce into a silky, glossy consistency.
07 - Scatter the grated Parmesan over the pasta and toss vigorously until the cheese melts and the sauce clings to every ribbon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
08 - Serve immediately in warmed bowls, garnished with freshly chopped herbs and an extra dusting of Parmesan if desired.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
- The lemon does all the heavy lifting here, turning simple pantry ingredients into something that tastes far fancier than the effort suggests.
- Mafaldine edges catch sauce like tiny nets, so every single bite delivers a burst of creamy, tangy goodness.
02 -
- If you walk away from the garlic for even thirty seconds too long it will turn bitter and haunt the entire dish with acrid flavor.
- Adding broccoli to the pasta water instead of steaming it separately was a game changer I learned from Elias because the florets absorb starchy saltiness that makes them taste richer.
03 -
- Grate the Parmesan while the pasta is still in the pot so it is ready to go the moment the hot pasta hits the pan, because timing matters more than anything here.
- A microplane zester gives you fluffy lemon zest that disperses evenly, while a coarser grater leaves bitter pith behind that ruins the brightness.