Cavatelli and broccoli, like many iconic Italian dishes, is more than the sum of its parts. There's many reasons to love this classic dish, not least of which is that the combination of ingredients yields a surprisingly complex yet comforting dish.
Sometimes nothing beats a great pasta dish, and Italy is where you'll find the best of the best. While more complex pasta dishes like Bolognese and coconut milk pasta have a regular space in my dinner rotation, nothing beats a flavorful dish with minimal ingredients.
That's where cavatelli and broccoli comes in. You won't believe how magical the combination of seven simple ingredients can be. You'll need the freshest, highest quality ingredients to enjoy this dish the way Southern Italians do.
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
✅Cavatelli and broccoli is an authentic Italian recipe that uses minimal ingredients. The focus is on the quality of the ingredients, and the technique you use to prepare it.
✅It's a perfect family meal that can be on the table in under 30 minutes.
✅If you use vegan parmesan cheese, this recipe is vegan friendly.
✅It's a budget friendly recipe.
Ingredients
- Cavatelli Pasta: I used dried cavatelli for this recipe, but if you can get your hands on fresh cavatelli (or make your own) then that's the ideal. Fresh cavatelli will require less cooking time than dried. If you can't find cavatelli, then I I recommend substituting casarecce pasta, which has a somewhat similar shape.
- Olive Oil: As with many classic Italian recipes, cavatelli and broccoli relies on only a few simple ingredients. That means the ingredients need to be of high quality, so invest in the best virgin olive oil you can afford.
- Garlic: Lots of fresh garlic is key to the success of this recipe. See my tips and suggestions below for the best way to prepare garlic.
- Chili Pepper Flakes: Chili pepper flakes add a nice background note. There's not enough to make it too spicy. However, if you prefer zero heat, it's fine to omit them.
- Broccoli: This is not the time to use frozen broccoli. Because cavatelli and broccoli relies on minimal ingredients, they all need to be fresh and of the highest quality.
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese: I love to use Violife Just Like Parmesan cheese. It's vegan and gluten free and tastes delicious.
What Is Cavatelli?
Cavatelli is an eggless Italian pasta made from semolina that's shaped like a hot dog bun, with the hollowed out center perfectly designed to catch sauce. In fact, the word "cavo" translates to hollow or indent in Italian.
Cavaletti comes from Southern Italy, where it features famously in dishes with broccoli, broccoli raab and a thick tomato sauce. One variation is made with ricotta cheese, and is not vegan.
Cavatelli has many regional variants and names throughout Italy. In Apulia it's called pizzicarrieddi. A larger and flatter version called parmatieddi (or palmatielli) is typical of the area of Tegganio in Campania. Italian Americans even have their own version made famous by the Sopranos called gavadeels.
You can easily make cavatelli with no special equipment. Unless you're making it in large quantities, it can be made by hand using only durum wheat and water. If you want to make your own, this homemade cavatelli recipe is a real winner.
How To Make Cavatelli And Broccoli
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add a dash of salt and the cavatelli pasta and cook according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta when it's finished cooking, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
- Cut the bottom inch and half off of the tough broccoli stems. Cut the head off of the broccoli and separate it into florets. Using a vegetable peeler, peel long shards off the broccoli stems, leaving a small bit of the stem intact.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the garlic and chili pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the broccoli florets to the pan and saute for one minute. Add 1 cup of the pasta water to the pan and cook until the broccoli starts to become tender.
- Add the cavatelli to the pan along with the remaining cup of reserved cooking water and the shaved broccoli stems. Stir to combine. Add the vegan Parmesan cheese and saute until until everything is well combined.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Recipe Tips And Suggestions
🧡Always salt your pasta water generously. Even the best pasta recipes will taste under seasoned if you don't.
🧡When mincing garlic, peel the garlic and smash the bulb with the side of a knife before mincing it. This releases the flavorful juices inside the garlic.
🧡You want your pasta to be "al dente", meaning that it's a still a bit chewy with a bit of tooth. To accomplish this, cook the pasta one minute less than the instructions on the packet recommend. The rest of the cooking will be done once the pasta is in the sauce. There's nothing worse than limp and soggy pasta!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @thisdailydish. Or, leave me a comment below. It makes my day and your feedback helps other readers!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, gnocchi is made from potato or ricotta and is not a pasta. Cavatelli is a pasta made from semolina, and it has a much firmer texture than gnocchi. The two are frequently confused because they have similar shapes, but they're really very different.
There are a few pastas with ridges designed to catch sauces like cavatelli. Good substitutions include rotini, gnocchetti or orecchiette.
Craving More Easy Vegan Pasta Recipes?
📖 Recipe
Cavatelli And Broccoli
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cavatelli pasta
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves finely minced
- 3 cups broccoli florets and shaved stems
- 2 cups pasta water
- ½ teaspon chili pepper flakes
- 1 cup vegan Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add a dash of salt and the cavatelli pasta and cook according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta when it's finished cooking, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
- Cut the bottom inch and half off of the tough brocolli stems. Cut the head off of the broccoi and separate it into florets. Using a vegetable peeler, peel long shards off the brocooli stems, leaving a small bit of the stem intact.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the garlic and chili pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the broccoli florets to the pan and saute for one minute. Add 1 cup of the pasta water to the pan and cook until the broccoli starts to become tender.
- Add the cavatelli to the pan along with the remaining cup of reserved cooking water and the shaved broccoli stems. Stir to combine. Add the vegan Parmesan cheese and saute until until everything is well combined.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Notes
- Always salt your pasta water generously. Even the best pasta recipes will taste under seasoned if you don't.
- When mincing garlic, peel the garlic and smash the bulb with the side of a knife before mincing it. This releases the flavorful juices inside the garlic.
- You want your pasta to be "al dente", meaning that it's a still a bit chewy with a bit of tooth. To accomplish this, cook the pasta one minute less than the instructions on the packet recommend. The rest of the cooking will be done once the pasta is in the sauce. There's nothing worse than limp and soggy pasta!
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