Spaghetti with Broccoli & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
A creamy sauce wrapping every strand of spaghetti, built from two types of cheese and a splash of water. No heavy cream, no roux, no twenty-minute simmer.
Frozen broccoli goes straight from the bag into boiling water for three minutes. Sun-dried tomatoes get a quick sauté with garlic in olive oil. Everything meets in the same pan, and the cream cheese melts into a thick coating that sticks to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom. 852 calories, 39 grams of protein, and 14 grams of fiber in a single plate. Fifteen minutes from start to finish.
A creamy sauce wrapping every strand of spaghetti, built from two types of cheese and a splash of water. No heavy cream, no roux, no twenty-minute simmer.
Frozen broccoli goes straight from the bag into boiling water for three minutes. Sun-dried tomatoes get a quick sauté with garlic in olive oil. Everything meets in the same pan, and the cream cheese melts into a thick coating that sticks to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom. 852 calories, 39 grams of protein, and 14 grams of fiber in a single plate. Fifteen minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients
- spaghetti, whole wheat 3 ounces
- broccoli florets (frozen) 3 cups
- garlic 1 clove
- sun-dried tomatoes 5 pieces
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- cream cheese, reduced fat 2 tablespoons
- water 2 tablespoons
- grated cheese 2 ounces
- Italian seasoning 1.5 teaspoon
Method
-
Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
-
Place the frozen broccoli florets in a pan with water and bring to a boil. Let the broccoli cook for about 2-3 minutes until al dente. Then drain and let them drain well in a colander.
-
In the meantime, finely chop the garlic. Slice the sun-dried tomatoes into strips.
-
Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the garlic for 2 minutes.
-
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute. Then add the broccoli along with the cream cheese, water, grated cheese, and Italian seasoning. Heat for another 2 minutes until a creamy mixture forms.
-
Drain the spaghetti and add it to the pan with the broccoli. Toss everything well together.
Drain the broccoli thoroughly after blanching — press it gently with the back of a spoon in the colander. Frozen broccoli holds a lot of water, and any extra moisture dilutes the cream cheese sauce from thick and clingy to thin and runny.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Where does 39 grams of protein come from without any meat?
Three sources share the load. Whole wheat spaghetti contributes about 10 grams. Two ounces of grated cheese add roughly 14 grams. Broccoli and cream cheese fill in the rest. Research using isotope tracers found the body absorbs well beyond the commonly cited 20-30g per-meal ceiling, so the full 39 grams get put to work.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I use fresh broccoli instead of frozen?
Yes, but it needs more prep. Cut the florets small enough to cook in 3-4 minutes. Large fresh florets take longer and may not soften evenly in the sauce. The biggest advantage of frozen is that it is already cut and blanches quickly, which is why this recipe hits 15 minutes start to finish.
Is whole wheat spaghetti necessary or can I use regular?
Regular spaghetti works fine. The swap drops the fiber from 14 grams to about 10-11 grams and the protein by a couple of grams, but the recipe still holds up. The fiber in this meal comes from the broccoli too, not just the pasta.
