Pasta With Broccoli
A killer recipe courtesy of my incredibly talented (and very Italian) friend, Giulia Scarpaleggia.
Three years ago when I was 6 months pregnant and actively building our Tuscany Tour, I was on the hunt for the best cooking class in Florence.
After hours of scouring social media and the internet, I finally stumbled upon Tuscan-born-and-bred Giulia Scarpaleggia—cookbook author, food writer, and podcaster who teaches cooking classes out of her countryside home just an hour drive from Florence.
I booked a spot in one of Giulia’s classes and, needless to say, it was one of the best gastronomic experiences I’ve ever had. In one class, Giulia spontaneously put together a five-course menu on the spot, purchased the produce from her local farmers market (while effortlessly educating us on the local food culture), and taught us how to make everything from her very own kitchen.
My favorite part, of course, was sitting down and eating everything we had prepared together. It was truly so wonderful, and I was over the moon when Giulia agreed to come help teach a cooking class for our upcoming Tuscany Tour.
It’s been three years since I first met Giulia, and since then, both she and her husband, Tomasso, have taught several courses to our Tuscany Tour guests. Unsurprisingly, it’s always one of the major highlights of the week. The menu is always different (based on what’s in season), but here’s what never changes:
The recipes are practical and approachable
I learn something new about Italian cuisine every time
The food is always phenomenal
One of Julia‘s superpowers is to make any vegetable taste delicious, so I was thrilled when she told me about her latest cookbook: Vegetables the Italian Way.
This book is exactly that—a beautiful, informative collection of different ways to prepare vegetables deliciously, just like Italians do. She’ll teach you how to make the dreamiest pasta from roasted carrots, a cake adorned with zucchini that’s worthy of a birthday, or fritters made with cauliflower and olives.
I flipped through every page of this beautiful new book, and here are a few of the recipes I’m most excited to make:
roasted tomato orzotto
ricotta & cauliflower stuffed shells
stuffed cabbage rolls
fall panzanella with squash, carrots, & fennel
ricotta & squash cake
Good news—Giulia has generously agreed to share one of my favorite recipes of hers today from the new book: Pasta with Broccoli.
She’s prepared her broccoli for me on more than one occasion, and let’s just say that you’ll never look at it the same after this recipe. The particular methodology of double-cooking the broccoli is simply brilliant, and is only enhanced by the golden and toasty breadcrumbs sprinkled on top.
Before we jump into the recipe, be sure to grab a copy of Giulia’s new book (here’s an Amazon link!), subscribe to her Substack, and be prepared to be introduced to a whole new world of Italian cooking. Iniziamo!
“This dish is a staple in my kitchen, not only because it sneaks in a generous portion of vegetables, but mostly because it’s so good you’ll find yourself stealing spoonfuls of the mushy, garlicky broccoli straight from the pan, even before the pasta goes in.
Whenever I make this dish for my cooking school students, someone always asks, How is it so creamy? Did you add cream? Is there cheese? The answer is no, no, and no. The secret is double-cooking the vegetables so that the broccoli melts into a creamy, garlicky sauce that clings perfectly to the pasta.” - Giulia
Serves 4 to 6
FOR THE PASTA
Fine sea salt
2 pounds/910 g broccoli (about 2 large heads)
1/2 cup/120 ml extra-virgin olive oil
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Red pepper flakes
FOR THE ANCHOVY BREADCRUMBS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped
2⁄₃ cup/50 g Homemade Breadcrumbs (recipe follows) or panko
TO FINISH
14 ounces/400 g short dried pasta, such as penne, fusilli, orecchiette, or rigatoni
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously. While the water heats, clean the broccoli. Cut off the stems and divide the tops into little florets. Rinse them under running water and transfer the florets to a bowl. For any large stems, peel off the tough outer layer with a vegetable peeler and chop the pale green center. If the stems are thinner, chop them without peeling. Transfer all the stem pieces to a separate bowl.
When the water comes to a boil, add the broccoli stems and cook until they are so soft you can easily mash them on the side of the pot with a fork, about 15 minutes. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and return them to their bowl and set aside. Next, plunge the broccoli florets in the boiling water and cook them until you can easily pierce them with the tip of a knife, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon, return them to their bowl, and set aside. Don’t discard the water; you’ll use it to cook the pasta, too. Top it up if needed.
Transfer the cooked broccoli stems to the cup of an immersion blender or a food processor, add ¼ cup/60 ml of the olive oil and 1 or 2 tablespoons of their cooking liquid, if too thick to puree. Puree the stems until smooth, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, if needed. Set aside. The broccoli puree can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days.
Pour the remaining ¼ cup/60 ml olive oil into a large saucepan and add the chopped anchovies, garlic, and pepper flakes to taste (your aim is to have a warm heat that won’t overpower the other flavors).
Warm the oil over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve the anchovies. When the garlic is golden, add the broccoli florets, toss them in the garlicky oil, and cook them, stirring often, until they start to collapse and become creamy, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then set aside.
MAKE THE ANCHOVY BREADCRUMBS
Pour the olive oil into a medium skillet and add the chopped anchovies. Warm the oil over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve the anchovies, then add the breadcrumbs and toss to coat with the oil. Increase the heat to medium low and fry the breadcrumbs until golden and toasty, about 5 minutes. Transfer the browned breadcrumbs to a bowl and set aside.
TO FINISH
Bring the pot of water back to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, pour the broccoli stem puree into the pan with the broccoli florets and warm through over medium heat.
Drain the pasta and add it to the pan. Toss everything together, stirring energetically, so that the broccoli transforms into a creamy dressing and envelops the pasta.
Serve straight from the pan, generously sprinkling the anchovy breadcrumbs over each plate.
The boiled broccoli florets and the stem puree can be cooked in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days, if you want a quick weeknight pasta dish.
Homemade breadcrumbs add crunch, texture, and flavor to any dish, and they’re incredibly easy to make. Cut stale bread into chunks and pulse in a food processor until you reach your desired texture, coarse or fine. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Recipe excerpted from Vegetables the Italian Way: Turning Simple and Fresh into Extraordinary. © 2026 Giulia Scarpaleggia. Photograph © Tommaso Galli. Reproduced with permission of Artisan Books. All rights reserved.
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Have any questions about the recipe? Simply comment below, and I’ll answer ASAP!
Thank you so much for sharing this. 💚
I’m very moved by your kindest words, and so happy we met three years ago!