When Sam and I first met, I told him what a great cook I was and proceeded to make him a very disappointing pasta recipe. FAIL. But he was nice about it, so I kept him around. Ever since then, I’ve been kind of afraid to make pasta because what if it’s like that one time?! This recipe is the opposite of that. This recipe is so. dang. good. You’ll be coming back for seconds. It’s perfect for a big family meal or guests. This linguine is slicked with chili and garlic infused olive oil, plus a little squeeze of lemon and some crispy broccoli florets. And lets not forget those toasty breadcrumbs that pull the whole thing together. It’s easy and delicious, though it requires a little multitasking because everything just comes together so quickly!
Let’s get to work on this recipe. You got this. First you’re going to want to prep all your ingredients. I used the broccoli stalks in my recipe, but they were too tough, so I’m gonna say, leave em out! Preheat the oven. Always your first step. Cut the broccoli into small bite size pieces and discard the stalks. Then mince your garlic and start boiling your water for the noodles. Throw your broccoli and some olive oil and a pinch of salt on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about ten minutes to crisp up.
While your water’s boiling, add some oil to a hot pan and toast your breadcrumbs until they’re lightly browned. Then remove them to a bowl and wipe out the pan. Add your 1/3 cup olive oil to the same pan over low heat. Add the garlic, chili flakes, and salt to the oil and let them cook for a bit until the oil is aromatic. Now’s the time to cook your pasta. Set a timer and make sure you save 1/2 cup hot pasta water.
Add the lemon juice to your oil, carefully. Remove the broccoli from the oven. Throw your broccoli into the oil Add your drained noodles and coat with the oil. Then add the hot pasta water to the noodles. Toss again. And then add your breadcrumbs and parmesan, tossing once more.
Serve hot, topped with extra parmesan cheese. See the full recipe below!
- 2 large crowns of broccoli
- ¼ cup olive oil plus 2 tbsp
- 1 lb dried linguine
- 1¼ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp salt plus some for sprinkling
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1 cup grated parmesan plus some for topping
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Cut the broccoli into bite-size florets. Place broccoli on a large baking sheet and drizzle with 1tbsp of the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 10 minutes or until broccoli starts to get crisp.
- Add the linguine to the boiling water and cook to al dente (about 8 minutes). Reserve ½ cup pasta water. Drain in a colander and cover with a kitchen towel until your sauce is ready.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or dutch oven, add 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and salt, stirring until browned and toasted. Once browned, remove the breadcrumbs to a bowl. Wipe out your pan and put on low heat. add the ¼ cup olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes, stirring frequently. Cook for about 10 minutes so the oil is infused with the flavors of garlic and chili. Add the lemon juice, carefully.
- Remove the broccoli from the oven. Add the broccoli to the same pan as the oil. Mix in the pasta and ½ cup pasta water. Pour in the breadcrumbs, tossing to coat. Sprinkle in the parmesan. Serve immediately with parmesan cheese.
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