Red Pepper Pesto Pasta with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup (packed) basil leaves
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup roasted red peppers
- 1 cup chopped Parmesan
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup pasta water (or plain water if making the pesto for another dish or to freeze)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 500g pasta of your choice
- 1 large head of broccoli, chopped into florets
Preparation
Cook your pasta according to the pack instructions. Just before you drain it, take out 1/3 cup of the pasta water to make the pesto with.
For the last 1 to 2 minutes of the pasta cooking time, add the broccoli. I like it quite crunchy so I add it just for the last minute.
Put the pine nuts, basil, lemon, peppers, Parmesan, garlic, water and olive oil in a blender and blend till smooth and well blended. Season well.
Drain the pasta and broccoli and put it back in the pan. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir it through.
Add a little more grated Parmesan, garnish with some basil leaves and serve.
Tips
The red peppers give the sauce amazing flavor and broccoli works beautifully with pesto.
For a variation, serve lightly cooked broccoli with chickpeas and this pesto as a dressing.
