Lemon & Anchovy Broccoli Pasta Recipe

Felicity Vincent
Oct 26, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Dec 12, 2024

A nutritious bowl of pasta for autumn weather.

So quick and simple yet it's packed full of nutrients and flavour! I can't recommend this enough if you're looking for cosy and healthy meal ideas: my broccoli, lemon and anchovy pasta. Umami, zing, a bit of heat in a silky satisfying sauce.

Ingredients (serves 4):

Broccoli pasta recipe:

1 broccoli
1 tin anchovies in extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
30g parsley
1/2 red chilli
2 garlic cloves
1 white onion
1 tin butter beans (or cannellini, or haricot or chickpeas)
1 Tbs EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
340g pasta of choice
Parmesan to garnish

Method:

Cut off the broccoli florets and quarter them. Peel the broccoli stalk then chop it up into 1-inch cubes.
Boil a large saucepan of water.
Peel the garlic cloves, and slice them thinly.
Peel and thinly dice the white onion.
Thinly dice the red chilli.
Chop the parsley up finely.
Zest and halve the lemon.
Add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water, then throw in the pasta and broccoli.
Put a frying pan on medium heat and add the anchovies with their oil. Let them sizzle while breaking them into small pieces. Once they have disintegrated nicely, add the white onion and sweat it off for 2 minutes. Then add the EVOO, garlic, chilli, lemon zest and drained butter beans. Stir them through until evenly coated.
When the pasta is about 2-minutes away from al dente (based on pack instructions), fill a mug with pasta water and drain the saucepan.
Add the pasta and broccoli to the frying pan along with the juice of the lemon, parsley and a generous amount of pasta water. Finish cooking the pasta while stirring through the sauce.
Serve up in a pasta bowl, top with a bit of grated parmesan and dig in. Bon appétit!

More about this broccoli pasta recipe:

Shortcuts:

Use frozen broccoli that is already chopped, or roughly chop some tenderstem broccoli.
You can also use frozen broccoli when it's out of season.

Keys to success:

I like to remove the pasta and broccoli from the boiling water about 2 minutes before it gets to al dente then transfer it to the sauce with some of the cooking water. This allows the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce therefore absorbing more flavour and releasing its starch directly into the liquid sauce for more silkiness and adherence.

Health benefits of broccoli:

As vegetables go, broccoli is extremely nutrient dense!

It's a good source of:

vitamin A which supports the immune system, and helps to maintain healthy vision and skin;
vitamin B1 (thiamin) which supports the nervous system and helps us transform food into energy.
vitamin B7 (biotin) which supports cell health and is needed to transform food into energy;
vitamin B9 (folate) which supports the formation of red blood cells and the production of serotonin;
vitamin C which acts as a water-soluble antioxidant, protects cells, enables wound healing and helps maintain healthy skin, bones, cartilage and blood vessels; it is also required to convert dopamine to noradrenaline;
vitamin K - which is required for blood clotting to support wound healing, and is necessary to support bone health; it is also required for the synthesis of sphingolipids which play an essential role in brain cell function, recent research has linked sphingolipid health with healthy aging and reduced risk of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's;
soluble fibre which helps lower blood cholesterol, and slows the release of energy from food. It also helps bulk stools with water and serves as a prebiotic, meaning it feeds our gut bacteria for a healthy microbiome which has its own multitude of health benefits;
insoluble fibre - helps to make you feel full, and soften stools for better digestive health. It is also associated with phenolic compounds and therefore antioxidant properties.

Broccoli is also remarkably high in protein for a vegetable! It contains many other beneficial active compounds such as flavonoids and glucosinolates (broken down when cut/cooked/digested into other beneficial compounds) which act as anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories to protect against cancer and chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's). But let's take a closer look at their other benefits:

Kaempferol (flavonoid - phenolic compound) - shows a positive association with reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases. Early studies have linked it to anti-diabetic properties, and some animal studies have even shown it blocks the build up of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain which leads to Alzheimer's disease.
Quercetin (flavonoid - phenolic compound) - may support heart health and lower high blood pressure, and has also been noted to reduce harmful bacterial growth and support the immune system in combatting viral infections and reducing allergy symptoms, as well as protecting against degenerative brain disorders.
Isothiocyanate (a product of the breakdown of glucosinolates) - improves our body's detoxification pathways, making it easier to excrete toxins and carcinogens such as cigarette smoke and pollutants. It has bactericidal properties towards some harmful bacteria, helping our good bacteria thrive. Finally, it has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer, most likely due to promoting cell death (apoptosis) and regulating cell proliferation.
Sulforaphane (a product of the breakdown of glucosinolates) - plays a similar role to isothiocyanate, early animal studies also indicate that it may play a role in kidney health.
Indole-3-carbinol (a product of the breakdown of glucosinolates) - another cancer preventive compound, it also improves oestrogen metabolism, helping to balance our hormone levels - ding ding ding good mood food!
Sulfur based compounds (responsible for broccoli's smell) and fibre support gut health and in turn the immune system and mental health. Sulfur compounds produce glutathione which plays a role in maintaining our gut lining and in general acts as an anti-inflammatory, protecting cell health.

Please bare in mind that broccoli, like all members of the brassica family (cabbages), might interfere with iodine absorption which is required by our thyroid gland and therefore can interfere with thyroid hormone production. Therefore, anyone with thyroid conditions should eat them in moderation. It also contains some other anti-nutrients meaning it shouldn't be over-consumed.

Mood Food - Happy:

Folate - is linked to levels of serotonin, our good mood hormone often linked to a feeling of serenity; and not having enough folate therefore increases the chance of feeling depressed.

Vitamin C - is involved in converting dopamine to noradrenaline - low amounts of noradrenaline are associated with depression.

Vitamin K - Initial studies have shown promising results of a significant inverse relationship between vitamin K and depressive symptoms.

Hopefully this makes you excited to try this and many other broccoli recipes during their season!

You can find lots of ideas on how to cook with broccoli in my newsletter: https://felicityvincent.substack.com/

Video:

Cook along with this step-by-step video and learn how to make my easy broccoli pasta recipe.

Photos: