Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for pasta with sprouting broccoli, blue cheese and hazelnuts

Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy orecchiette with purple sprouting broccoli, blue cheese and hazelnuts. Photograph: The Guardian. Food styling: Rosie Reynolds. Prop styling: Louie Waller. Food styling assistant: Poppy Mitchell.

This is one of my favourite types of dishes: a quick cook, quick carb, where the sauce takes as little time to make as the pasta. Broccoli and blue cheese are a classic combination, and with the crunch of hazelnuts and the creamy sauce, this feels like a special dinner, even though it takes just minutes to pull together. It serves two generously – we stretched it to three at lunchtime, so you may have enough for a lunchbox the next day.

Orecchiette with purple sprouting broccoli, blue cheese and hazelnuts