Everyone needs a few simple, healthy, go-to recipes for busy nights. This is one of my family’s favorites. My husband even had me make it for his birthday dinner one year! It’s tasty and is my kiddos favorite way to eat broccoli. They call it Worms and Trees.
It takes only 20 minutes to make, so we eat it about once a week. Sometimes I serve it straight up vegan and sometimes I add shrimp. I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. The leftovers are a great next-day lunch.
- 1 box angel hair pasta
- a big head of broccoli, just cut off the top florets (the stems make a great soup the next day)
- 4-6 large cloves of garlic, minced
- ½- 1 t red pepper flakes*
- a few tablespoons of olive oil
- 3 T sesame oil
- optional chili oil*
- Bring a pot of very salty water to a boil. While it is heating up, chop your broccoli into small florets and mince your garlic. Once your water is boiling, add broccoli to the water and cook for 1 minute.
- Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan with 3-4 T of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes.* Transfer broccoli from the water to the saute pan. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat in this pan. Bring the water back to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente.
- Before draining pasta, reserve a cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and add it to the broccoli. Stir to combine well. Drizzle a few tablespoons of sesame oil over the pasta. If you need to loosen it, add a bit of the pasta water. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper. You can heat the pan again if you need to, but usually it is still steamy hot. Spice lovers can add a few drops of chili oil to their bowls. Enjoy!
Garlic-Sesame Noodles with Broccoli Recipe Note
If your kids don’t like spicy food, you can use either a little bit or no red pepper flakes in the recipe. Adults can add chili oil at the end to get that kick. I think it’s a good idea to use a little spice to acclimate children’s pallets, but not overwhelm them. You know your family best.
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