Cheap, Simple and Kid Approved… need I say more?
This recipe was put together in conjunction with my six year old son, but it’s not just “kid food”, it’s an all-round crowd pleaser that’s easy to make and easy to love.
It takes just twenty minutes with staple ingredients, and while it’s delicious exactly as written, it can also be used as a base recipe you can customize to your heart’s content. Like, using truffle or chili cheese (which can often be found for a good price at Aldi!), deglazing the pan with a little white wine, or mixing up the spices and seasonings. Want to add protein? Add a can of white beans (and a little extra liquid as needed to keep it saucy). So much possibility here!
What to know about the ingredients:
- Spaghetti can be swapped for linguine, fettuccine or any other long straight pasta shape. Don’t use angel hair (capellini) because the cook time and liquid ratios would be completely different. If you want to use angel hair pasta, follow this pasta primavera recipe instead, using broccoli as the only veggie and adding 2 cups of cheddar instead of parmesan.
- Using double (heavy) cream is best – as long as the heat is moderate, I have never had any issues with the cream splitting, but lower fat cream (single cream or half and half) could split. If you want to use lower fat cream, hold off and add it at the end. If you do this, you may need more veggie stock to cook the pasta in.
- Use a sharp / mature cheddar. Feel free to swap in a different cheese as long as it’s got a good flavor. This recipe would work great with smoked cheddar or chili cheddar too!
Top Tips for One Pan Pasta Making
- The Best Pan: Since we’re using spaghetti here, you want to use your widest deep saute pan or casserole dish. Mine is 12 inch / 30cm wide and the spaghetti fits without breaking it, but if your pan is less wide, you may need to snap the spaghetti in half to fit it in. No biggie!
- Be flexible! One pot pasta always comes with the caveat that different pasta brands cook in different time frames, so you do need to be hovering and checking in regularly – I will walk you through this in the recipe card.
- Leftovers: One pot pasta recipes are very starchy, which makes them creamy and silky when you eat them straight away, but they become dry / gummy quite quickly when they sit out or get stored in the fridge or freezer. To combat this, you want to add a bit of water or cream when you reheat the leftovers to try to restore the texture.
More Easy One Pot Pasta Dinners
One Pot Broccoli Cheddar Spaghetti
Creamy, cheesy one pot broccoli pasta – this 20 minute weeknight dinner recipe is an easy crowd pleaser. Budget friendly, flexible and super tasty!
Ingredients
- olive oil or butter, for sauteing
- 3 shallots, sliced
- 1 small head broccoli, florets (I like to chop mine fairly small but you can do what you like)
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp parsley
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 10 oz (280 g) dry spaghetti
- 3 cups (700 ml) vegetable stock or broth
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy (double) cream
- 2 cups (225 g) cheddar
- optional – chives or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a few spoonfuls of olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium heat (cast iron enamel casserole dish or a nonstick saute pan will work equally well). Saute the shallots until soft, then add the broccoli florets to the pan and saute for 2-3 minutes just to start to soften them up. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, dried thyme and parsley, and smoked paprika. Stir through until fragrant. If it starts getting sticky at this point, deglaze the pan by splashing in a little bit of the broth (or white wine, if you have some on hand).
- Turn the heat to low. Lay the spaghetti over the top of the broccoli (if your pan isn't wide enough to accomodate, you'll just need to break the spaghetti in half). Pour the broth and cream over the top. Use a spatula to mix everything through, trying to sink the spaghetti into the liquid as much as you can.
- Bring the pan to a simmer, then cover and cook for 10-12 minutes (use the cook time on your package of spaghetti as a guide) until the spaghetti is al dente.During this time, open the lid frequently to stir the contents of the pan, especially in the first 5 minutes, to make sure the spaghetti isn't sticking. If at any point the pan seems too dry, but the spaghetti isn't cooked, add in some more broth, half a cup at a time. The liquid quantities needed can really vary depending on your brand of spaghetti.Once the spaghetti is al dente, assess the sauce. We want it very saucy, but not too thin or watery. If necessary, you can cook it for another minute with the pan uncovered to evaporate a bit of the excess liquid and then allow the pan to rest off the heat for a couple minutes to thicken up.
- Add the cheese to the spaghetti and toss through over a low heat until melted in.
- Scatter with chives or parsley, if using, and serve immediately.
Calories: 735kcal, Carbohydrates: 72g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 39g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 90mg, Sodium: 1140mg, Potassium: 786mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 2394IU, Vitamin C: 138mg, Calcium: 519mg, Iron: 3mg