Broccoli Pesto Pasta
Broccoli Pesto Pasta
Cooking 101
Fresh broccoli and basil make for a healthy, yummy pasta dish! Super. Easy and made with six ingredients, plus pasta. Great side dish and an easy way to sneak veggies into your diet and your kids’ diet too. Better yet... ready in under 30 minutes!!
Broccoli Pesto Pasta
Yield: 4 side dish servings or 2 - 3 entrée portions
Ingredients:
1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced (~ 1/2 cup)
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Couple grinds black pepper
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Optional: 1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cups dry pasta, preferably pasta with grooves or spirals
Equipment needed:
Small food processor
Cutting board
Chef knife
Measuring spoons
Dry measuring cups
Small skillet
4-quart pot with lid
Slotted spoon
Colander
When I was in college we used to make spaghetti with broccoli using one pot. Easy clean up and super easy prep too! We would put our chopped broccoli and spaghetti in the boiling water and allow them to cook together. Then drained them and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. My love for pesto took that college dish a step further to create a pesto sauce using the broccoli and then cooking the pasta in the broccoli water. Absorbs the nutrients lost in cooking the broccoli... a healthy win-win in my book! Pasta with grooves or spirals make the perfect accompaniment to absorb the pesto sauce too. So, grab your ingredients and let’s cook!
First steps are to sauté the onions and place a medium 4-quart pot of salted water on the stove, to bring to a boil. Sauté the diced onions in a small skillet while you begin the process to make your pesto. Place the small skillet over medium heat with 1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil for ~ 2 –3 minutes. Place diced onions in pan and sauté until lightly golden & translucent. Meanwhile, mince the garlic, remove basil leaves from the stems and cut the broccoli into florets. Place basil, olive oil, salt and pepper into a small food processor. Process for 1 – 2 minutes or until a smooth paste is formed.
This dish is easy and will take under 30 minutes to prepare as you dovetail the cooking processes of the pasta and the pesto prep. When the water comes to a boil, place the broccoli in the water and cover. Boil for 3 - 4 minutes or until broccoli is bright green and tender-crisp or slightly soft.
Using a slotted spoon, remove and drain the broccoli from the boiling water and place in the food processor with the blended basil. Place dry pasta into the boiling water from the broccoli and cook until al dente. If there are a few pieces of broccoli floating is the pot... no worries.They will all be combined in a bit anyway! As pasta is boiling, pulse the pesto a few times. Add sautéed onions. I occasionally add pine nuts to the pesto, so if you are, now is when they are added. Pulse a few more times until all ingredients are blended into a homogeneous green mixture. Add a little more olive oil if mixture appears dry. At this point the pesto will smell divine!
Almost finished! When pasta is ready, drain into a colander reserving about 1/4 – 1/2 cup pasta water for later. Place pasta back into pot and pour pesto on top. Fold together well, being careful not to break up the pasta. Add a little pasta water to ease the mixing process and loosen up the pesto.
Dinner is ready! Serve alone as an entrée or with grilled or pan-fried chicken breast and a side salad. Garnish with a bit more parmesan cheese and a sprig of basil... ENJOY!!