One pot creamy broccoli pasta is a delicious, no fuss meal made by cooking pasta and broccoli florets together in a flavorful, creamy sauce for a meal the whole family will love.
From the recipe collection of Tara Ippolito

This one pot creamy broccoli pasta is the ultimate cozy-meets-fresh comfort meal. You get tender pasta wrapped in a velvety, rich sauce with pops of broccoli in every bite. It's comforting just like a homemade macaroni and cheese but with a delicious veggie twist that makes it feel hearty and wholesome. The broccoli goes perfectly with the sauce, adding earthy flavor and a gorgeous green pop of color. Plus, it all comes together in one pot, so you get big flavor with minimal effort and barely any cleanup — win-win!
This pasta isn't just delicious. It's the perfect balance of cozy, creamy comfort and fresh, veggie-packed flavor. I use simple, everyday ingredients and a one pot method that builds rich, silky sauce right into the pasta, giving every bite that restaurant-style creaminess without any fancy steps. If you want a fast, comforting pasta that tastes like you spent way more time than you did, this is the recipe to use.
Ingredients
- Pasta- I love medium sized shells pasta for this but any small shaped pasta would do here.
- Butter- Adds lots of richness to the onion, garlic and the whole dish.
- Onion- Use diced white or yellow onion for this recipe.
- Garlic- Fresh, jarred or garlic paste would all be great to use.
- Chicken Broth- Use regular or low sodium chicken or vegetable broth.
- Heavy Cream- Adds a thick, richness to the sauce and also helps to thicken it up a bit.
- Broccoli- Fresh or frozen and thawed broccoli florets would both be ok to use. Just be sure to chop it up into small, bite sized pieces and adjust cooking time if necessary.
- Seasoning- The simple seasonings of salt, pepper and garlic powder all come together to perfectly season this dish.
- Parmesan Cheese- Adds a little nutty, saltiness to the dish and lots of flavor.

How To Make It
First, in a large pot, melt the butter over medium high heat and add the diced onion. Lightly season it with salt and pepper and add the garlic. Sauté until the onion is soft.

Now, add the chicken broth and heavy cream and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bring the liquid up to a boil and stir in the pasta. Lid the pot and cook the pasta over medium high heat for 5 minutes.

Now, stir in the chopped broccoli florets. Lid the pot again and cook the pasta and broccoli together for another 4 minutes. Once they're both cooked and ender, stir in the parmesan cheese, place the lid back on and turn the heat off. Allow the sauce to thicken for about 2-3 minutes.

Finally, re season the pasta with the salt, pepper and garlic powder, if needed. Give it one more big stir to combine everything together, serve warm and enjoy.

Storage
Let the pasta cool down completely and place it into an air tight storage container. It will last in the refrigerator for up to three days.
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One Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta Recipe
Equipment
- large pot with a lid
Ingredients
- 1 Box Medium Shells Pasta
- 4 Tbs Butter
- 1 Small Onion, diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 4 Cups Chicken Broth
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream
- 1.5 Cups Broccoli Florets, chopped small
- ¾ Cup Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 Tbs Garlic Powder
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium high heat and add the diced onion. Lightly season it with salt and pepper and add the minced garlic. Sauté until the onion is soft.
- Add the chicken broth and heavy cream and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bring the liquid up to a boil and stir in the pasta. Lid the pot and cook the pasta over medium high heat for 5 minutes.
- Now, stir in the chopped broccoli florets. Lid the pot again and cook the pasta and broccoli together for another 4 minutes or until they're both cooked and tender.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese, place the lid back on and turn the heat off. Allow the sauce to thicken for about 2-3 minutes.
- Re season the pasta with the salt, pepper and garlic powder, if needed. Give it one more big stir to combine everything together, serve warm and enjoy.
Other Easy Pasta Recipes
If you like super easy to make pasta recipes like this one, you have to try this Baked Italian Sunset Pasta, Pasta Al Forno and Marry Me Pasta.





Al Dente Diva says
Hi! You can mix it right into the Alfredo sauce at the end. I bet it’s amazing!!
Jessica says
I am excited to try this! If I add chicken, in your opinion when is the best time to add it?
Al Dente Diva says
Hi! Thanks for finding me on my site. I appreciate it!! Whatever the standard box of pasta is. I believe it’s 16 ounces. I hope you like the recipes ?
Anonymous says
I also discovered you via Tik Tok! I can’t wait to try ALL your recipes! Can you confirm what size box of noodles you used? I need to convert it to cups lol!!
Al Dente Diva says
Hi Kristi. This was so nice to read. I really appreciate you trying the food and I’m so glad you like it! I hope to keep putting out new stuff for you to try ?
Kristi Penney says
This is the second recipe this week on our menu from your website (I found you from tik tok) and let me tell you my family is in love with your food!!!! I am so glad I found and followed you!!! The beef meximelts set the tone for the week and this meal was out of the park!!! Only problem is what’s next!!!
Al Dente Diva says
I’m sorry if you got that impression from the photo that it was vegetarian. Swap out the chicken broth for veggie and use vegetarian Parmesan and you’re all set.
Anonymous says
Got really excited about this but it was short lived when chicken broth and parmesan cheese was used. Being a veggie, I'd have to make lots of changes just to make this work which is fine, but gutting as the picture makes it look like a veggie friendly meal.
Al Dente Diva says
???
Anonymous says
You are seriously amazing ?