Luckily, we have one child that absolutely loves broccoli. Another is very lukewarm about the prospects of eating it, while the third, I had to make a deal with him that he could eat carrot sticks instead of steamed broccoli. So how do you get kids and adults alike to eat more of their greens? Pesto is a good trick. Okay, perhaps not with the volume of garlic I like to use, but essentially the idea behind it works. This broccoli pesto is my “grown up” version, with a healthy portion of garlic, chili flakes and tangy lemon. You may ask yourself but why a pesto from broccoli? Do we really need to change something that already works? Sure, why not. I love broccoli and I love the idea of finding more interesting ways to eat it, other than my usual ho-hum-lightly-steamed-served-on-the side version. Not only is this broccoli pesto fabulous served with pasta, it’s a great alternative to standard Genovese pesto spread on a sandwich or a wrap.
NOTE: I mashed my broccoli with a fork and used my hand operated mini blender to chop up the garlic and pine nuts, but a pestle and mortar works also fine, or if you have a blender or food processor you can just throw all the ingredients in it and pulse them for about a minute.
When using pine nuts, be sure toast them first to bring out their nutty flavor.
Broccoli Pesto
Ingredients
- 400 g pasta of choice, plus 1/2 cup (125 ml) reserved cooking liquid
- 2 large broccoli heads, cut into flowerets, quartered if large, stems removed (250 g)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large organic lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan, plus more for serving
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
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Cut the lemon in half to set aside.
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Steam the broccoli for 4 minutes. In a large bowl, mash the broccoli with a fork (alternatively, use a food processor and blend until finely chopped).
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Mix together the garlic, juice from one half the lemon, chili flakes, pine nuts and olive oil with the broccoli and process until it becomes a smooth paste. Taste it. Add a tad more olive oil if it seems too dry, plus a little salt and pepper, according to taste.
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Meanwhile, cook pasta according to packet directions, until al dente, in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup (125 ml) cooking liquid, and return pasta to pot.
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Mix together the drained pasta with the pesto mixture and add enough of the reserved pasta water to form a sauce (adding a little at a time until it reaches the desired consistency). Cook over medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing the mixture until evenly coated.
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Serve into four serving bowls. Squeeze the juice of one half of lemon on top of each bowl of pasta. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with parmesan and serve. Enjoy!
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