Nonna's Italian Spaghetti & Broccoli (2024)

Published by Meaghan on January 10, 2018 | last updated on May 5, 2022.

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Nothing was better growing up than cheesy Italian American comfort food straight from Nonna’s kitchen. Keep those memories alive with a big batch of Nonna’s Italian Spaghetti & Broccoli- a quick & easy, one dish, vegetarian pasta dinner. Keep it simple, and keep making memories around meals with your own family with this humble recipe.

I, and others of my generation, have the unique experience of remembering life (I use that term loosely) both before AND after the big boom of the internet.

Like growing up, my best friends lived just a couple of doors down. I couldn’t imagine knowing, let alone being such good friends with someone I didn’t see every day- or at the very least go to school or church with.

Now, I have friends all over the United States. All over the world even. Some of whom, I’ve never even met in person!

Thanks to the internet, and social media, that bit doesn’t really seem to matter much.

So not only has my friend circle expanded, but so has my pool of unique ideas and flavor profiles to pull from when it comes to testing recipes.

I’ve got regional, and now even world wide.

Luckily, my social media habit and obsession with groups specifically designed for sharing recipes has led to some delicious discoveries.

My favorite, bar none, is this recipe for Nonna’s Italian Spaghetti & Broccoli.

Also known as pasta e broccoli in my husband’s Italian family It comes from my friend Elise, a beautiful soul with a wealth of knowledge to hand down and pass along in the kitchen straight from her own Italian kitchen.

Nonna's Spaghetti and Broccoli

A one dish meatless meal that's creamy cheesy Italian American comfort food straight from Nonna's kitchen.

4.58 from 21 votes

Ingredients

3 tbsp salt
1- pound spaghetti broken into 2-3" pieces
1/2 cup olive oil
2 12 oz pkgs fresh broccoli florets
8-10 cloves garlic peeled, crushed, and minced
1/4 tsp freshly grated black pepper
1 1/2-2 cups grated Romano cheese or more to taste
2 cups shredded mozzarella or more to taste
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Fill an 8-quart pot just under 3/4s full of water. Stir in the salt and bring to a rolling boil.
Stir in the spaghetti,oil, garlic, pepper, and broccoli.
Bring the mixture back to a boil and let boil for about 2-3 minutes. Cover the pot, turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for about an an hour and a half, stirring every 15 minutes, until the pasta is cooked through and has absorbed most of the liquid.
At the 45 minute mark, stir in the romano cheese, until melted and evenly incorporated. As soon as the pasta's cooked, stir in the remaining cheeses until melted and serve.
Top with additional grated Parmesan, if desired and enjoy with a piece of warm crusty bread.

Notes

Just a reminder, this is more of a soup than a pasta dish! The pasta is not firm and al dente like a macaroni and broccoli served with less liquid. You can add more water if you prefer it more "soupy”, and you will have to add more when reheating any leftovers.