Penne Alfredo with Broccoli

If you live near La Habra area, you might want to check Papi’s Pizza on Lambert Road. It’s a hole-in-a-wall pizza place G and I frequent for three reasons: great food, great price, great service. Their all-you-can-eat lunch buffet featuring fresh pizzas, spicy buffalo wings, delicious pastas, generous salad bar and bottomless drinks is a deal that’s simply hard to beat at $6.99. G loves their assorted pizza combinations but it is their penne alfredo with broccoli that I can’t get enough of. The noodles are firm to bite, the broccoli florets are crisp and the sauce…man, oh man, the sauce is the stuff you’ll give up your waist for. Willingly. I’ve cooked pasta with alfredo sauce before but theirs had a certain “it” that left mine in the dust. I was moaning between bites how creamy and dreamy it was when one employee passed by and heard me. Bless his soul, he shared with me the secret of their magical alfredo sauce: garlic! Lots of garlic, butter and heavy cream.

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Penne Alfredo with Broccoli

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Servings: 4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 pound penne pasta , uncooked
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 cloves garlic , peeled and minced
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1-1/2 cups Parmesan cheese , freshly grated
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a pot over medium heat, bring about 1 quart water to a boil. Add broccoi and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until tender yet crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove from water and plunge into a bowl of iced water. When cold, drain from water and set aside.
2. In a pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package's direction for about 7 to 8 minutes or until firm to bite. Drain well, reserving about 1 cup liquid.
3. In a a medium saucepan over medium heat, add butter. When butter begins to melt, add garlic and cook, stirring, regularly, until limp and aromatic. Add cream and simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese, whisking vigorously until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook until sauce begins to slightly thicken. If sauce becomes too thick, add the reserved liquid (from cooking pasta) in 1/2 cup increments
4. In a wide skillet over medium heat, combine pasta, sauce and broccoli and cook until heated through. Garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve hot.