Add A Bit Of Je Ne Sais Quoi To Your Dinner Menu With This Broccoli Pesto Pasta Recipe

The beautiful thing about Broccoli Pesto Pasta is not only the beautiful bright green colour it has but that it’s an all-season menu which can serve both family and guests.

The secret ingredient? Green olives, pesto, and fresh basil. This Italian dish is so healthy and very delicious too, I mean, it’s hard to get over that sharp, spicy kick of garlic, salty Parmigiano-Reggiano, and fragrant fresh basil. The addition of broccoli floret and pesto sauce in this dish just makes it a nutritional meal, aside from being a great source of fiber, it also boasts lots of vitamin C and vitamin A, as well as some iron, calcium, and potassium due to mix of greens in the dish. Most importantly the use of your salty pasta water will add a little bit of oomph to your meal.

Here’s how to make this delicious healthy meal:

Ingredients: For 4-6 Servings

Salt, as needed

2 cups broccoli florets

1 pound uncooked pasta, such as rigatoni, Linguine or penne

3 tablespoons pine nuts

1 cup green olives, pitted

2 cups fresh basil leaves

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

How To:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water and add the broccoli florets and cook for up to 1 minute then blend the cooked broccoli florets. Use your slotted spoon to transfer the mixture into a bowl then set it aside.

2. Using the same salty broccoli water, bring it back to a boil. Then add the pasta and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes until firm to the bite. Drain the pasta and set it aside reserving 1 cup of the salty broccoli pasta water.

3. Under medium heat, place your sauce over the heat and cook the pine nuts tossing them back and forth for approx 3 minutes until toasted and fragrant.

4. Get the blender and add the olives, garlic, basil, pepper, parmesan cheese, your toasted pine nuts, and half the cup of the reserved salty broccoli pasta water, pulse the mixture until well mixed.,

5. While the blender is combining the mixture, add some olive oil, ensure the mixture is thoroughly pureed then your pesto sauce is ready, season with a little salt and pepper until the desired taste has been achieved.

6.Mix the pasta and the pesto sauce in a large bowl, tossing them together with your desired amount of pesto, you can also add 2-3 tablespoons of the reserved salty broccoli water if needed.

7. Meal is ready to serve, Enjoy!