Broccoli Anchovy Spaghetti
- Katy Rafiai
- Sep 24, 2025
- 1 min read
A quick, warming pasta dish that is perfect for weekday nights...
I love this dish. It is so easy and tasty, and we've even used it when we've had guests over for dinner. It's the kind of meal you can make whilst catching up with friends over a glass of wine, as you peel and chop the garlic. It doesn't take too much brain power, but it's tasty and delicious and you'll find both adults and children wipe the plates clean.
My kids love this one. It's just the right amount of chilli to warm them up, but not to set their mouths on fire. The thick sauce has everyone licking their lips and the glug of olive oil over the pasta at the end has everyone swooning.
Give this a try. A quick 30minute dinner that will become a staple in your home.
1
Use Good Olive Oil
Drizzle the plated spaghetti with some good olive oil for extra flavour.
2
Check the Chilli
I find that some chillis are super mild and others really hot! I always do a little test before I put it in the pan so I can adapt how much I use. You can also you a nice heaped tablespoon of easy chilli mixture if you don't have fresh chillis.
3
Add water to the Pan to avoiding sticking
If the broccoli mixture starts to stick or the garlic starts to burn, add some spaghetti water to the pan to calm things down.
Notes
1
Cut the broccoli into florets. I even peel and cut the stem into chunks to make use of the whole broccoli. The more broccoli you have, the better the sauce! Place the broccoli into boiling water and blanche on the hob for 5 minutes.
2
Meanwhile, fry the chopped garlic in your skillet pan on a medium heat. I fry the garlic in the anchovy oil from the anchovy tin, this adds a bit more flavour. Be careful not to burn the garlic, and reduce the heat when needed.
3
Add the chilli and the anchovies to the pan. Break up the anchovies to create a nice bubbling mix of garlic, chilli and anchovy.
4
Remove the blanched broccoli from the pan, and add to the skillet with the garlic mixture. Use a potato masher to mash the broccoli into the mixture. The broccolli should be soft enough to do this. If not, leave in the pan and mash it down every few minutes. The heat will gradually cook the broccoli even more.
5
Add a large pan of salted boiling water to a medium heat. Once boiling, add spaghetti into the pan. I time this for approx. 6 minutes.
6
After 6 minutes, remove the spaghetti from the heating and drain the spaghetti water into a bowl. Do not throw the spaghetti water away. This salted water is going to be really important to creating a nice sauce.
7
The broccoli mixture should be nice and mashed up by now. If the mixture starts to stick to the pan, or the garlic starts to burn, add a cup full of water from the spaghetti pan, this will release any sticking and cool down your garlic.
8
Add the spaghetti to the skillet pan. Mix in with the broccoli mixture and then add half the spaghetti water to the skillet. The pasta will continue to cook in the pan. Mix together so that the water and the broccoli mixture are mixed together well.
9
Keeping stirring the pasta in the sauce for 4-5 minutes. The sauce should be thickening up in the starchy water. Add a good handful of parmesan into the mixture and stir in.
10
Once the water has turned into a nice creamy sauce, you are ready to serve. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember the salty water and anchovies will give you plenty of salt, so go light with any added salt). Garnish with freshly grated parmesan and voila! An easy midweek dinner for the whole family!
Instructions
12 oz spaghetti
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 tin anchovies in oil, drained and chopped
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 chili, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of good olive oil
Parmesan for garnishing
Main Ingredients
Spaghetti with Broccoli and Anchovies
Katy & Daisy Rafiai
A flavourful and quick pasta dish featuring broccoli, anchovies, garlic, and chili, perfect for a warming weeknight dinner.
Servings :
4
Calories:
450
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
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