Description
Make a kid-friendly pasta dish packed with hidden greens using this simple Broccoli Pesto Pasta recipe. You will love how easy it is to get nutritious broccoli into your family’s diet.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound pasta (any shape you like)
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted optional)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Add the broccoli florets to the boiling water for the last 3 minutes of cooking time.
- Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Set aside.
- Combine the broccoli, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
- With the food processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil until you have a smooth pesto sauce.
- Stir the pesto into the warm pasta and broccoli mixture. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce coats the pasta nicely.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Toast the pine nuts lightly in a dry skillet before using for a deeper flavor.
- If your kids are hesitant, use a small amount of pesto at first and increase it next time.
- You can substitute walnuts or almonds for pine nuts if needed.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Blended/Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: Estimate needed
- Sugar: Estimate needed
- Sodium: Estimate needed
- Fat: Estimate needed
- Saturated Fat: Estimate needed
- Unsaturated Fat: Estimate needed
- Trans Fat: Estimate needed
- Carbohydrates: Estimate needed
- Fiber: Estimate needed
- Protein: Estimate needed
- Cholesterol: Estimate needed