Broccoli Garlic Pasta is a new addition to my list of favorite dinners. It’s one of those recipes that I create in order to use up an ingredient that would soon be going bad – in this case, it was mushrooms. I threw in other items I had on hand – the pièce de résistance being the Feta cheese, which made all the difference.

Note: If you make your own pasta (which I do), use a 1 cup flour recipe – more than that is too much pasta for the sauce in this recipe.

BROCCOLI GARLIC PASTA – makes about 6 cups or so

• 6 oz uncooked pasta (I use spaghetti noodles)
• 2 T butter
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 cups raw broccoli, bite-sized pieces
• 2 T garlic, pressed (use less if you don’t like a lot of garlic)
• 1 red pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 5 oz (2 cups) mushrooms, chopped (I use white mushrooms)
• 1/2 cup (about 4) scallions, green & white part, sliced
• 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 T flour
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (I use vermouth)
• 1 cup cream
• 6 oz Feta cheese (I use fat-free), crumbled
• 2½ oz (1 cup) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (or any hard cheese)
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

In a large pot, cook the pasta until almost done (al dente) – you want it undercooked so it can absorb the sauce. Drain.

Into the now empty pot, heat the butter and oil. Add in the broccoli, garlic, red pepper, mushrooms, scallions, and red pepper flakes. Over medium/high flame, sauté veggies for 1-2 minutes. Kill heat and sprinkle on flour. Over low flame, stir 1-2 minutes to slightly thicken the liquid and cook-off the flour taste. Add in the wine and cream. Cook over medium heat about 1 minute. Stir in the Feta, Pecorino, and parsley. Stir in the pasta and heat through. Pour into serving bowl (or let remain in pot), cover, and let set for about 5 minutes to allow pasta to absorb the liquid and thicken up.