Broccoli Pesto Pasta
Broccoli Pesto Pasta is delicious AND good for you! It has all of the classic pesto flavors from garlic, basil, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. But rather than a huge punch in the face of flavor, it's a bit more mellow - and healthier - for you with the addition of broccoli! #broccolirecipes #pesto #pasta #easydinner #dinnerideas #familydinner #healthydinner #vegetarian #meatlessmeals #busymom
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
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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.
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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.
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While the broccoli is steaming, rough chop the garlic.
Make Your Pesto and Cook Pasta
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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.
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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.
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Once everything is fully blended, scoop out into a large bowl (large enough for pasta) and mix in the grated parmesan cheese.
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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.
