Description
Creamy Boursin cheese pasta with broccoli delivers rich comfort from French culinary traditions. Home cooks can quickly craft this simple weeknight meal with minimal ingredients and maximum flavor satisfaction.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 packages (5.2 oz or 147 g) Boursin garlic & herb cheese
- ½ lb (226 g) malfadine pasta
- 4 cups shaved broccoli (about 1 head)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- ½ lemon, juiced
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil Water: Bring a large salted pot of water to a vigorous boil, preparing to cook pasta until perfectly al dente while reserving some starchy cooking liquid.
- Sauté Aromatics: In a spacious skillet over medium-high heat, warm olive oil and introduce diced onions with a subtle sprinkle of salt and crushed red pepper flakes, cooking until the onions become translucent and softened.
- Prepare Vegetables: Fold shaved broccoli florets into the skillet, seasoning with salt, and sauté for 2 minutes before adding butter and gently stirring to create a harmonious blend of flavors.
- Create Creamy Sauce: Crumble Boursin cheese into the pan, streaming in reserved pasta water to develop a luxurious, velvety sauce. Whisk thoroughly to ensure complete cheese integration and ideal sauce consistency.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Transfer cooked pasta directly into the skillet, allowing residual water to help emulsify the sauce and enable the noodles to absorb the rich, creamy mixture.
- Final Touch: Reduce heat and let the pasta simmer briefly, then elevate the dish with a vibrant squeeze of fresh lemon juice and an extra dash of red pepper flakes for a zesty, warming finish.
Notes
- Quick Pasta Water Tip: Reserve starchy water before draining, as it helps create a silky, smooth sauce by adding body and helping cheese melt evenly.
- Broccoli Texture Hack: Shave florets thinly to ensure quick, even cooking and maximize surface area for sauce absorption.
- Cheese Melting Technique: Crumble Boursin at medium-low heat to prevent separation and achieve a creamy, velvety sauce consistency.
- Final Flavor Boost: Add fresh lemon juice and red pepper flakes at the end to brighten the dish and provide a zesty, spicy kick that elevates the overall taste profile.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg