Every woman in my family has one green vegetable they crave like crazy. My mom craves asparagus and always says her body feels great as soon as she eats it. My daughter craves green beans and will pretty dominant the entire pan if I let her (and I do). I crave broccoli regularly so I pretty much always have a head or two in the fridge at all times.
This is the kind of pasta dish I could easily make once a week and never tire of. It's a super quick one pot wonder brimming with loads of fresh broccoli flavor, lots of creamy Parmesan cheese, and a hint of garlic. This dish really satisfies my broccoli craving and let me just say...there were no leftovers!
Fusilli with Broccoli Pesto
Adapted from Delta Kitchen
and Donna Hay's Fresh and Light
Serves 4
1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
250 g pasta
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
250 g pasta
1 cup pasta water
Parmesan cheese
Set a large pan of water to boil. When the water comes to a boil blanch the broccoli for 2-3 minutes. Remove the broccoli and add the pasta. Cook pasta until al dente, removing about a cup of pasta water before draining. In a food processor, blitz together the broccoli,
garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the cooked
pasta, using the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce as desired, add the desired amount of Parmesan and stir. Serve with more Parmesan, if desired.
 |
| Theme: Getting Saucy! |
I get cravings for greens if I don't have them a few times a week! But broccoli is a close second. This pesto sounds great!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of making pesto from non-traditional ingredients; this variation with the broccoli looks beautiful and vibrant and would go over well here (I think broccoli is the only universally-liked vegetable in my family!)
ReplyDeleteI like making pesto with different, out of the ordinary ingredients. Don't think I've ever tried broccoli! This is an easy, beautiful dish. While I love nuts, it is nice to see a pesto that doesn't use them.
ReplyDeleteOne day I'll get back to cooking w/ Donna Hay. I'm in the middle of a non-food project right now and have become very caught up in it. But I do miss IHCC!
I've made many types of pesto but never before with broccoli. This looks so delicious
ReplyDeleteSO GLAD to see you still blogging Kim!!! :) This looks amazing. I think I will give this a try we have broccoli at home that I don't know what to do with. We eat pasta and broccoli regualrly, just never in this way. Looks simple and delicious. My kind of meal. :)
ReplyDeleteYum, yum, yum. I often make a similar pasta dish to this from a Heidi Swanson recipe, and it is one of my partner's favourite dishes. I often pimp it up a little by using ravioli instead of regular pasta, or sometimes I blitz some roasted almonds in with the pesto, or add a bit of leftover chicken to the final dish. Gorgeous photos by the way, Kim - love that bright green colour.
ReplyDeleteI love pestos of all kinds and love the idea of a broccoli one. This looks both simple and delicious. ;-)
ReplyDelete