Bow Tie Pasta With Broccoli and Broccoli Sauce

From: TiffanyH #2

On Oct 7, 2009

We made this with some haddock fillets, turned out wonderful......for those of us who got to try it warm. It is a good way to use the entire head of broccoli, no waste! DH loved it, 2 out of 3 devoured it. It looses a lot of flavor when it is cooled though, unfortunately, not everyone one was ready when the food was......

From: Chef #1374290

On Sep 27, 2009

A great recipe to use up any extra fresh broccoli and spinach for a main course ... very easy and very, very tasty! This one will get made often at this house and for guests as wel.

From: Akikobay

On Jul 6, 2004

We had to rename this pasta to, "Martian Pasta" because it has become a staple in our house. I was actually trying to find a recipe that incorporates chicken with broccoli, but when I saw this recipe...I knew we had to make it. My DD ate 4 helpings of this the first night we made it and every night since, she hopes that it'll magically find its way to her plate. Even my son, who isn't horribly fond of broccoli, admits this is really yummy. The recipe is perfect as written, I don't need to add any water to get a smooth sauce. As I've made the recipe, I've used chicken stock to cook the broccoli and added in a sprinkle of parmesan before serving. It's wonderful.

From: Miss Dipsy

On Apr 15, 2005

Great way to use up the glut of broccoli I currently have in my garden, and the kids love it too! They do like broccoli anyway, but my daughter has a bad habit with pasta dishes of picking out the pasta and leaving everything else, even if "everything else" is something she usually likes, but with this she ate every single last bit! I've now cooked this several times, with variations. I tend to steam the broccoli instead of boiling it as it retains a bit more nutritional value, and also saves pans & energy as you can steam the florets over the pasta. Also, I've found this recipe to be very adaptable, and have successfully added green (bell) peppers (which I steamed with the stems), spinach (cooked then pureed with the stems), cheese (parmesan/cheddar), and pesto (really good if you're adding spinach as it perks up the flavour a bit), and pine nuts (toasted & sprinkled on top). I like to stick broadly to the green colour, as it is definately part of the attraction of this dish!