Broccoli Pesto Pasta is a 30-minute dinner main or side dish that the entire family will love! It’s creamy, hearty, delicious and healthy. It super easy to make in a food processor and can be made ahead to whip up in just minutes on any busy weeknight.
For years, Broccoli was one of the few veggies my kids would eat. So, today, I give thanks to the broccoli gods with this Broccoli Pesto Pasta! It’s creamy, hearty, delicious AND good for you! Woo hoo! It has all of the classic pesto flavors from garlic, basil, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. But rather a huge punch in the face of flavor, it’s a bit more mellow and healthier for you by adding broccoli! The broccoli is simply blended with the other ingredients and helps to really sell this dish to my kids.
Kid-Approved Broccoli Recipe
When my oldest daughter was a toddler, she started to become picky with foods and not so eager to try new things, especially veggies. However, broccoli was the one veggie that she would eat. And let me tell ya, I latched on to that broccoli for dear life. Whilpesto can be overpowering for kids, this broccoli pesto pasta has a more delicate flavor with all of the broccoli blended into the pesto.
If broccoli is one of the few veggies that your kids will eat, then here are some other recipes to try! The favorite in this house is Teriyaki Peanut Sauce Chicken and Broccoli because everyone loves the asian flavors and slurping noodles. My favorite is Slow Cooker Creamy Broccoli Soup, which is creamy but light and delicious! Then there’s an easy make-ahead Cheesy Sausage & Broccoli Rice Casserole. Finally, try this Sheet Pan Flank Steak with Potatoes & Broccoli where you literally cook the entire meal on a sheet pan.
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Simple Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you need a food processor for the pesto. I used my go-to mini food processor which was the perfect size for sauces, dressings, and small amounts of pureed ingredients.
Prep-Ahead Steps for Broccoli Pesto Pasta
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details)
For this recipe, you can do 3 levels of easy prep…
- Prep just the broccoli and garlic
- Make the pesto ahead
- Cook the pasta and pesto ahead and just reheat when you want to eat
Let’s start with prepping the ingredients and waiting to make the pesto and pasta. Rough Chop 3 cups of Broccoli into pieces about ½ inch in size. You can use both the broccoli florets and the broccoli stems. They will go into the food processor later, so it doesn’t matter what they look like, just that they are about the same size. You can also buy broccoli rice that’s already prepped from the store to save time.
Steam the broccoli in ½ cup of water either on the stove or in the microwave. Steaming should only take about 5 minutes or so.
While the broccoli is steaming, rough chop the garlic.
Make the Pesto & Cook the Pasta
Boil a large pot of water for the pasta. Once boiling, add a teaspoon of salt and the pasta. Mix the pasta in the water and bring back to a boil. Cook pasta for 5-8 minutes until al dente.
To a mini food processor, add the fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, water, and olive oil. Pulse to blend.
Then add the broccoli, salt, and pepper and pulse to blend again.
Once everything is fully blended, scoop out into a large bowl (large enough for pasta) and mix in the grated parmesan cheese.
It will be really thick, but this is what you want at this point!
When the pasta is finished cooking, scoop out with a strainer, saving the pasta water, and transfer to the pesto bowl. Add a ½ cup of the pasta water and then mix to combine the pasta and the pesto. You can add more pasta cooking water if needed. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, and/or parmesan cheese as needed/desired.
ENJOY! 😍 Carrie
Broccoli Pesto Pasta Recipe FAQS
Can pesto be cooked?
When pesto is made the traditional way, with grated parmesan cheese, you will not want to cook it by itself. That’s because the cheese will melt and clump up. To use the pesto warm, simply add it to the hot pasta or other food you want to add it to, then mix it or let the food warm it up. Once it’s mixed with pasta in this recipe, you can warm the pesto pasta slowly over low heat so that it all warms together.
Is this recipe gluten free?
The broccoli pesto is gluten free. However, depending on the pasta, it may or may no be gluten free. If you want gluten free, my favorite pasta is Banza Chickpea pasta for this, as it’s loaded with fiber and protein, which makes this a complete meal!
Is pesto bad for you?
Traditional pesto is made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. None of these ingredients are necessarily bad for you, unless you have an allergy to any of them. However, with the addition of broccoli in this recipe, this pest is filled with many more vitamins and nutrients. Therefore, this Broccoli and Pesto recipe is healthier than the traditional ounce for ounce.
Are there other vegetables that I can add to this?
You can add cauliflower to this same recipe. Just split the total amount of broccoli into a combination of broccoli and cauliflower. You could also replace the broccoli entirely with either cauliflower, spinach, carrots, or even brussels sprouts!
Can I freeze this pesto?
Yes! This broccoli pesto freezes beautifully. You can portion it out and freeze it in freezer bags flattened or in other freezer containers. To use, place in the refrigerator the day before to thaw. It usually takes 24 hours depending on how much you have to thaw. Mix the pesto in with hot pasta and pasta water and if needed, warm it up on the stove or microwave just enough time to warm.
Broccoli Pesto Pasta
Equipment
- Mini Food Processor
Ingredients
- 3 cups Broccoli Florets and stems, chopped
- 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic
- ½ cup Pine Nuts
- 1 cup Basil Leaves, loosely packed
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated
- 16 oz Fusilli Pasta, dried
Instructions
Prep Ahead Instruction
- Rough Chop 3 cups of Broccoli into pieces about ½ inch in size. They will go into the food processor later, so it doesn't matter what they look like, just that they are about the same size.
- Steam the broccoli in ½ cup of water either on the stove or in the microwave. Steaming should only take about 5 minutes or so.
- While the broccoli is steaming, rough chop the garlic.
Make Your Pesto and Cook Pasta
- Boil a large pot of water for the pasta. Once boiling, add a teaspoon of salt and the pasta. Mix the pasta in the water and bring back to a boil. Cook pasta for 5-8 minutes until al dente.
- To a mini food processor, add the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, water, and olive oil. Pulse to blend. Then add the broccoli, salt, and pepper and pulse to blend again.
- Once everything is fully blended, scoop out into a large bowl (large enough for pasta) and mix in the grated parmesan cheese.
- When the pasta is finished cooking, scoop out with a strainer, saving the pasta water, and transfer to the pesto bowl. Add a ½ cup of the pasta water and then mix to combine the pasta and the pesto. You can add more pasta water if needed. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, and/or parmesan cheese as needed/desired.
Chef Mimi says
Well, I thought I’d made just about every kind of possible pesto, but I forgot broccoli! This looks and sounds lovely. Great photos!