There are days when I drag myself home and have absolutely no desire to cook at all. Most of those nights, the pizza guy comes to our house. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed lately that my waistband is a little more snug than normal (must have shrunk in the wash). Speaking of laundry, check out this laundry room project we installed for some clients. So instead of inviting Carl to come visit (yes, I know the pizza delivery guy’s name), I throw this embarrassingly simple dish together.

Seriously. 3 minutes of active work and 20 minutes to the table. The beauty of this is that it’s not only easy – it is also really good. The ingredients are almost always in the fridge, and I don’t have to plan ahead of time. Luckily, the grocery store sells bags of pre-cut broccoli that is washed and ready to use. Beyond crushing a few cloves of garlic and zesting a couple of lemons, the bulk of the prep time is taken up by sitting around, having a glass of wine, and waiting on the pasta water to boil. This is my kind of weeknight cooking!

The sharp, lemony flavor cuts through the buttery sauce and give it a nice balance. The trick is to not overcook the broccoli. A little snap left in the vegetable makes this dish a refreshingly light dinner on a warm night.

Of course, if you want to make a heartier dish, you can add some shrimp to the thing. Just sauté for 5 or 6 minutes before adding the broccoli and pasta to the sauce. In all honesty, I hardly ever make this dish with shrimp added. That would mean a trip to the fish monger, and quite possibly, the extra effort of peeling shrimp. Defeats the whole lazy mindset. If you are that industrious, then have at it – I won’t tell.

So free up some much needed time in your weeknight by whipping up this quick and effortless meal.