Lemon Garlic Broccoli Pasta is a delicious combination of vegetable and rotini noodles, tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh garlic. It’s deceivingly simple, low cost, and straightforward for a recipe that tastes like something you’d enjoy at a restaurant! {GF + Vegan}

Rotini noodles and broccoli on two white plates next to champagne glasses, silverware, and a white napkin.

I LOVE pasta. Like, really, really, really LOVE pasta. I also LOVE broccoli. Like, really, really…you get the idea. And don’t even get me started on lemon and garlic getting together for amazing flavor. Okay, actually, let’s talk about that. Because when you pair pasta and broccoli together and then add lemon and garlic, it just feels like you’re dining on a fancy dish that CLEARLY TOOK DILIGENT HOURS TO CONCEPTUALIZE. Except that it takes about 25 minutes to throw together (including time for the water to boil), and it’s basically a handful of ingredients.

Even the girls like this recipe. They’ll actually eat the broccoli on their plate. Thank you, lemon + garlic. Your check’s in the mail.

Spiriteds, this is how we win dinner. How we take our recipes up a notch without having to sweat it. And it’s proof that delicious doesn’t have to equal complicated/expensive/hoity-toity.

We can have our rotini + broccoli + lemon + garlic and eat them, too!

Lemon Garlic Broccoli Pasta is

Gluten-free
Vegan
Quick and easy to make

Lemon Garlic Broccoli on two white plates next to a cutting board with fresh garlic and lemons, silverware, and a white napkin.

Lemon Garlic Broccoli Pasta ingredients

Broccoli. The refresher, the better. Steamed to a dark green and a texture that isn’t mushy but is easily pierced with a fork.
Gluten-free rotini noodles. Prepared according to package instructions. No need for anything super-fancy in this recipe.
Olive oil. Nothing fancy needed. Just enough to coat the pasta and broccoli.
Lemon juice. Fresh or bottled with work in this recipe.
Garlic. Fresh is the absolute best here. Sea salt. Seems obvious, but, man, does it go well with the pasta and the garlic.

How to streamline the prep and cook processes

This isn’t a tricky recipe to make, but timing is everything. Depending on the pasta’s cook instructions, it can feel like the rotini noodles cook at one pace while the broccoli steams at another pace, so that, inevitably, one main ingredient is ready well before the other. Let’s avoid that if we can, shall we?

First things first: check the cook instructions on the pasta box. Some brands need only seven to nine minutes of cook time, while others can take as long as 12-14 minutes.
If the pasta needs less than 10 minutes to cook, then give the broccoli a head start.
If the pasta needs more than 10 minutes to cook, then start the water for both the broccoli and the pasta at the same time.
The length of time needed to steam broccoli can vary depending on the size of the pot and the size of the florets. A deeper pot will likely hold more broccoli but take longer to warm up (10 minutes, give or take), whereas a shallower pot might hold fewer broccoli florets but take less time to warm up. Once the water is boiling, then add the broccoli, and plan for about 8-12 minutes of steam time. The broccoli is done when it has turned dark green and you can easily pierce it with a fork.

Easy pasta dishes for dinner!

If you’re in the mood for more pasta inspiration, then check these recipes out!