One of the things I’ve learned about eating on a budget is that simple recipes win. The fewer ingredients you need, the fewer ingredients you need to buy, and that generally helps keep that grocery bill low (not to mention, it makes cooking easy). So, when I was planning for the first week of my September Challenge, my favorite dinner “cheat” recipe came to mind. Bowties and Broccoli, FTW.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Use Any Shape Pasta
But just to be clear, you can use any shaped pasta for this dish. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use whatever pasta you have on hand, so it’s that one meal option that I always have the ingredients for on hand.
As I mentioned, this is my favorite substitute for “real” dinner when I’m tired and hungry. I usually have all these ingredients on hand and it only takes minutes to throw together. Sometimes, I’ll boil extra pasta, freeze the leftovers in single serving freezer bags, then I can just toss the frozen pasta and broccoli into a bowl and microwave for a minute or two until hot. Then it’s even faster than fast! Either way, these few ingredients make an incredibly tasty, filling, and easy meal on the fly. #winning
Make Six Servings or One Serving
The quantities on the recipe card below are for six servings of the Bowties and Broccoli. I generally make one serving at a time. To find the quantities for one serving, scroll down to the step by step photos.
Bowties and Broccoli
Servings 6Ingredients
- 12 oz. pasta ($1.00)
- 1 lb. frozen broccoli florets ($1.69)
- 3 Tbsp butter ($0.30)
- 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan ($0.31)
- Salt to taste ($0.05)
- Freshly cracked pepper to taste ($0.10)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.05)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta. Boil until the pasta is al dente (7-10 minutes). Add the frozen broccoli florets to the boiling pasta water, turn off the heat, and let sit for 1-2 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender-crisp. Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander.
- Transfer the pasta and broccoli back to the pot (with the heat off) or to a bowl and add the butter. Toss until the butter has melted and coated everything. Add the Parmesan, salt, freshly cracked pepper, and red pepper flakes, then toss to coat again. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Bowties and Broccoli – Step by Step Photos
It always amazes me how just a couple of ingredients can make such a satisfying meal. This really is SO simple and SO good. I keep these ingredients stocked and eat this often. This is all I need for about six servings (not all of the butter, Parm, and pepper were used for six servings).
If you’re making one serving at a time, you can either estimate 1/6th of the bag of pasta, or check the back to see if it gives a volume of dry pasta for the serving size. The measurement will change depending on the shape of the pasta, but for this bowtie shape 1/6th of the bag is roughly 3/4 cup. So that helps me keep serving sizes in check.
First bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta. Boil the pasta just until it’s tender (7-10 minutes). Once tender, add the frozen broccoli (estimate an equal volume to the pasta) directly to the pot and turn off the heat. Let it sit for a minute or two, or just until the broccoli is slightly tender, but has a bit of crunch left and is still bright green. If you prefer your broccoli a lot softer, you can leave the heat on for a minute or so and let it continue to boil, but I prefer mine to still have some tooth.
Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander.
Transfer the drained pasta and broccoli to a bowl, or back to the cooking pot (with the heat off). Add 1/2 Tbsp butter for each serving you’re preparing, then toss until the butter melts and coats everything.
Once everything is coated in melted butter, sprinkle 1/2 Tbsp grated Parmesan for each serving, plus salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (if desired).
Toss briefly again so that everything is coated in Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Easy, enjoyable, and just over 50 cents per bowl!
This was so good, and easy too! It was even good leftover the next day. I I added a clove of garlic (sauteed it for a minute in the hot pot, after draining the pasta and broccoli).
Tried the recipe and it turned out delicious. Will try tweaking like others have suggested in the future and a great quick dinner to whip up.
I just want to thank you for posting the recipe at the top and then going into the wordy step-by-step. It really helps while I’m actually cooking to not have to scroll 3/4 down the page to find the recipe! This is also a very tasty quick meal for those nights where everyone is tired and grumpy and just wants food NOW.
Thank you for your appreciation! :)
It was ok. Tastes exactly as it reads, simple, frozen. My husband didn’t like it, and neither did my kids. I would spend the extra money and buy fresh broccoli, high quality pasta, and fresh parmesan. To make this with the cheapest ingredients possible as shown in the photo, you can taste it, but as a cheap meal for one…it does the trick!
Just tried this recipe, and it was surprisingly satisfying. I often make a boxed Fettuccine Alfredo product and jazz it up with chicken or broccoli, and I thought I’d hate this without a cheesy sauce, but it really is delicious. I did make two variations, however. I added a pan seared marinated chicken breast (Chopped up) and I used frozen broccoli, par cooked in the microwave and then finished in a pan with butter, salt, and pepper. I think a little heat and color brings a lot of flavor. (Keep in mind that you added fat to cook the chicken and broccoli, however, and reduce the butter in your noodles!) I want to try it with roasted broccoli, if I have an hour to spend on this dish some time.
I just made this. 1) Where was this when I was in college!? Haha, this would have been great back then. But 2) it’s delicious!! I added 1 extra tbsp of parmesan, and used garlic salt instead of regular salt, and no red pepper flakes… and it’s absolutely perfect. Almost feels like comfort food without all of the extra fat that comes with comfort food.
This is one of my favorites from your site. A fried egg over top is the best.
so easy, simple and good!
I did half frozen broccoli, half edamame. 😘👌
I would love to have the nutritional info for this great recipe
I’ve been stuck in the house for several days with the hurricane and am low on food but I had everything to make this today and it rocked! A great, quick, meal to make with ingredients you already have on hand.
Garlic is a must for this recipe, either fresh or powder is fine. I also add a small bit if white wine to blend with the cheese and butter, almost making it into a sauce.
Definitely garlic, preferably fresh! And a good idea with the white wine..
This was really good. I used fresh broccoli since it was on super sale (6 lbs for a little under $6) and cooked the florets with garlic instead of boiling them. I also added extra cheese to this because we are a cheese loving family but it needed to be used anyway.
I keep making this recipe and I love it. It’s a my go-to food when I am in a rush. Nine minutes and it’s ready!
I jazzed up this recipe a bit by adding a chicken breast and a quarter cup of unsalted roasted sun flower seeds, and it was delicious.