A watched pot is slow to boil, so skip it.
Skillet Broccoli Spaghetti
How to make any pasta in a single pan: In a large skillet or Dutch oven, warm ¼ cup olive oil or butter over medium. Add aromatics and any sauce components that need to be cooked through, like garlic, hearty vegetables, or sausage. Once soft, add 12 ounces of any pasta that cooks in 10 minutes, along with 5 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt. Turn the heat to high and cook, stirring and tossing the pasta constantly, until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. If it looks dry, add water. Season to taste with S&P.
Ingredients
- Garlic
- Broccoli
- Butter
- Anchovies
- Spaghetti
- Parmesan
Instructions
- Thinly slice 6 garlic cloves and transfer to a large skillet with high sides. Cut the florets off 1 to 1½ pounds broccoli, keeping as much of the branch connected to the trunk as possible. Peel the branch and cut the trunk and branches into ½-inch pieces. Transfer to the skillet. Roughly chop the florets so even the biggest pieces fit on a soup spoon. Leave the florets on the cutting board.
- To the skillet, add 4 tablespoons butter (½ stick) and 4 anchovies and set over medium-high. Cook, smashing the anchovies and stirring the butter around, until the garlic and broccoli are softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add 12 ounces spaghetti or any other noodle that cooks in 10 minutes, the florets and any broccoli bits on the board, 2 teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Pour over 5 cups water. Increase the heat to high and cook, tossing often with tongs, until the spaghetti is al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. If the pasta is looking dry, add more water. Eat with grated Parmesan.
Notes
Reprinted from I Dream of Dinner. Copyright © 2022 by Alexandra Slagle. Photographs copyright © 2022 by Mark Weinberg. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House.