Pasta Con Broccoli

St. Louis is really just a big smorgasbord. We have wonderful traditions in barbecue, our own style of pizza, a strong German presence, our own kind of cheese, Sweetie Pie’s for soul food and then we have The Hill—the most remarkable Italian town you would ever want to visit. Pasta con Broccoli is one of our favorite Italian dishes and, just like everything else here, everyone does theirs a different way. Here’s my take:

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons kosher salt
8 ounces (1/2 package) of large or medium shell pasta
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ½  cups thinly sliced white button mushrooms
1 ½ cups fat free half and half (or regular, or cream, whatever you want here)
½ cup marinara sauce (jarred or home made)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the salt and pasta. Cook until about halfway done, say 5 minutes or so and add the chopped broccoli. Continue cooking until the broccoli is bright green and still crisp and the pasta is done (another 4 to 5 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and the mushrooms. Cook for 4 or 5 minutes until the mushrooms are done and the garlic is fragrant but not browned. Add in the half and half and the tomato sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for about 4 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.

Drain the pasta and broccoli and toss into the sauce. Add in the parmesan and then adjust the salt and pepper, toss once more and serve.