Roasted Broccoli Pesto Pasta
This roasted broccoli pesto is an easy vegetarian sauce for pasta with pine nuts, lemon, Parmesan and garlic. Stir it into a bowl of penne pasta.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound small to medium broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan plus more for serving
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 8 ounces penne pasta
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Toss the broccoli with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper and spread it across on a sheet pan in a single layer.
- Roast the broccoli until it is crisp-tender and starting to brown at the edges, about 10-12 minutes.
- For the pesto, finely chop 1 cup roasted broccoli, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. With the motor running, pour in 1/2 cup olive oil through the feeder tube, processing the mixture until it is fully combined.
- Cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water before draining.
- In a large bowl, stir the pesto into the pasta. Then fold in the remaining roasted broccoli. Add a little cooking water as needed to help the pesto coat the noodles. You may not need the entire 1/2 cup.
- Divide into serving bowls or onto plates and top with additional parmesan as desired.
Notes
You can use chopped walnuts or almonds instead of pine nuts.
If you prefer the pesto to be less garlicky, use 1 garlic clove rather than 2.
To make the pesto vegan, leave out the Parmesan or use a plant-based version. If you do omit the cheese, sprinkle the finished dish with nutritional yeast.
You can make the broccoli pesto up to 2 days in advance. Let it sit out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes and stir it. Store the pesto in an airtight container and the roasted broccoli in another separate container. Warm the broccoli in a 350-degree F oven for 5-7 minutes before assembling this pasta.
Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Warm it in the microwave. The broccoli will lose some of its crunch and the pasta will soften. Or eat it cold as a pasta salad, adding baby arugula or spinach.
Nutrition
Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 732mg | Potassium: 574mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 767IU | Vitamin C: 109mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 2mg