Creamy pasta with broccoli and sweetcorn
The perfect midweek creamy pasta dish, from pan to plate in 15 minutes. You can use any pasta shapes you like. The lemon zest adds a little ‘zing’ but you can leave it out if you prefer.
This recipe is part of a Budget vegetarian meal plan for four. In September 2023 this recipe was costed at an average of £3.28 when checking prices at five UK supermarkets. This recipe is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.
Ingredients
- 300g/10½oz dried penne pasta, or other pasta shapes
- 1 head of broccoli (about 350g/12oz), cut into small florets
- 200g/7oz frozen sweetcorn
- 200g tub full-fat cream cheese (also known as soft cheese)
- ½ lemon, finely grated zest only
- 100g/7oz cheddar, grated
- ground black pepper
Method
Half-fill a large saucepan with water, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Stir in the pasta and return to the boil. Cover loosely with the lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 10–12 minutes, or until the pasta is tender but retains just a little ‘bite’. Stir occasionally as the pasta cooks, so it doesn’t stick.
Meanwhile, cut the broccoli florets in half or quarters depending on size. After the pasta has been cooking for 8–10 minutes, add the broccoli and sweetcorn to the saucepan, cover and return to the boil. Cook for 2–3 minutes more, or until the broccoli is tender and the pasta cooked. Reserve a couple of ladles of the water (around 150ml/¼ pint) and put to one side in a bowl. Drain the pasta and vegetables in a colander then return to the pan.
Pour the reserved water over the pasta, add the soft cheese and lemon zest and stir well until the cheese melts and coats the pasta. Sprinkle with half the cheddar and season with freshly ground black pepper. Toss together over a low heat until the cheddar melts into the sauce, adding a splash of water if needed. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese to serve.
Recipe Tips
You can make your broccoli go further by thinly slicing the stalk too. If you don’t have fresh broccoli, you can use frozen broccoli or any other frozen vegetables instead. The frozen sweetcorn can be swapped for a can of sweetcorn if you prefer.