Spicy roasted broccoli and corn pasta bowl

This broccoli and corn pasta bowl is one of those recipes that saves the never-ending ‘what do I make for dinner tonight’ moment.

We love our easy pasta recipes don’t we? This is one of them. SO easy and delicious.

I don’t have a hectic house with a ton of children or picky eaters. But one way or the other we all have our full days. Mine are filled with work and obsessive hobbies – blogging? instagram? – and I get home tired and hungry a lot of nights, longing for a plate of pasta to magically appear on the table. Well, it doesn’t. I have to make it happen. The nerve, I know.

Through the years I have traded rich and creamy sauces for simple fresh ideas. Some chopped fresh tomatoes with basil and parmesan is one of my go-to pasta bowl of all times. Sometimes I dress it up a bit with limes and jalapeños with outstanding results.

This broccoli and corn pasta bowl turned out a winner. Roasting the vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper makes them deeply flavored without losing any of the crunch.

It’s the simplest way I know of avoiding boiling or steaming them, which in my case is labor intensive given the size of my kitchen and the absence of the right small appliance to do the job. I have to use several pans and keep checking that the water isn’t consumed. This I mention I get home tired and hungry?.

So, I always roast. I get the bonus of charred bits too. A win-win.

The spicy part is given by harissa, that amazing north African condiment that I keep in the refrigerator at all times. I even have a harissa powder. You can easily make it yourself, check the homemade harissa recipe in the egg curry post.

So, this vegetable pasta bowl has it all: pasta (your favorite dry pasta), spiciness, fresh vegetables, herbs, cheese, and dinner served in half an hour.

And, now that we have a broccoli emoji I had to share this wonderful spicy broccoli corn pasta bowl. I’m a big fan of emojis, really.

Broccoli and corn easy pasta bowl

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• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 60 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 2 cups dried pasta (cooked according to packet instructions)
• 1/2 medium broccoli (no stems, cut into chunks)
• 2 corn ears (shucked (or use frozen))
• 2–3 Tbs. harissa paste (or sriracha or other spicy red pepper sauce you like)
• 1/2 cup grated good parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbs fresh chopped parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• A drizzle of cream (optional but good if you like spicy but also creamy)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF / 190ºC.
2. Put broccoli in an oven tray, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake  20 minutes, moving around once or twice while cooking. Add corn and bake 20 more minutes, until it’s charred but still crunchy.
3. Drain the pasta and mix with some olive oil (I use the same pot I cooked it in).
4. Add parsley, harissa and cheese and mix.
5. Add vegetables and mix well.
6. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and cream.

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• Category: Dinner