One-Pot Broccoli Pasta

This was a great, simple pasta dish.  It was totally one-pot, and I'm surprised it worked so well.  I really enjoyed it! It was super easy too; you just have to chop broccoli and some garlic.  At the end, you're supposed to garnish with parmesan, but I only had a little bit and I used it all in the pasta itself, so for a garnish, we used feta, and I really liked that.  You can add any fresh herbs you want, too; I used basil.  Or, don't use herbs if you don't want to.  You can also add dried herbs to the mix as it's cooking.  Make sure you taste for salt; mine needed a little more.  I thought about cooking in chicken broth, but didn't know if that would make it too salty.

One-Pot Broccoli Pasta
adapted from The Kitchn

1 pound broccoli (about 1 large or 2 medium heads), cut into bite-sized florets
12 ounces dried small shell or ditalini pasta
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
smoked paprika
1-2 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon chicken flavor
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce), plus more for serving, optional
a big scoop of whole-milk plain Greek yogurt

Feta cheese, for serving, optional

Fresh basil, for serving, optional

1.  Place the broccoli, pasta, water, yogurt, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, if using, water, paprika, and Better than Bouillon in a large pot or straight-sided skillet and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil uncovered, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking, until the pasta is al dente and almost all the liquid is evaporated, 8 to 9 minutes. (I used a big non-stick soup pot and a wooden spoon- worked perfectly.)

2.  Remove from the heat and stir in the big scoop of yogurt and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Taste and season with additional salt as needed. Serve in shallow bowls topped with feta cheese and fresh basil, if desired.

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