Broccoli Pesto Pasta (Nut Free)
A broccoli pesto sauce is tossed with whole wheat pasta in this quick and healthy dinner! This nut free Broccoli Pesto Pasta is a 30 minute meal.
My focus in the kitchen at the moment is quick and easy meals. I’ve been feeling very pregnant lately, and my 35 weeks pregnant body can’t handle more than quick and easy when it comes to cooking.
During these busy (exhausting) days, I’ve been filling our meal plans with easy dinners to get us through. Like this broccoli pesto pasta and this Caprese Pasta.
We’ve also been enjoying freezer meals – we often do the cook once, eat twice method here. I especially like making a big batch of chicken taquitos for the freezer. I’m trying to add leftovers to our freezer so we’ll have some meals ready to go when baby arrives.
This Broccoli Pesto Pasta recipe comes together quickly and is a great nut-free pesto option. The broccoli adds an extra serving of veggies to the meal, which is always a plus.
I serve this Broccoli Pesto Pasta with a green salad or some bread and call it a day. The leftovers reheat well for lunch or dinner the next day.
Tips for making this Broccoli Pesto Pasta:
- Start the water boiling for the steamed broccoli first.
- You can add white beans or poached chicken to the pasta for extra protein.
- This is the food processor that I have and it works great to make everything from pesto sauce to nut butter to pie dough.
- If your kids are hesitant to eat broccoli, this is a great recipe to try. Make sure you add garlic sparingly when making the pesto. The garlic won’t be cooked and its flavor can easily overpower the dish.
Broccoli Pesto Pasta (Nut Free)
Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli, cut into florets
- 12 ounces whole wheat pasta
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 4-5 minutes until crisp-tender. Maintain water at a boil and use a slotted spoon to remove broccoli to a colander. Cool slightly.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, transfer the broccoli to the bowl of a food processor. Add the Greek yogurt, Parmesan, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
- When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water and then drain. Transfer pasta back to the empty pot.
- Add ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water to the food processor. Process until smooth, adding more pasta water as needed.
- Stir the broccoli pesto into the pasta in the pot, adding more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.
I’ve made this twice now for my kids. They love it. I love it that they’re eating brocolli!
I made this tonight after searching for a recipe I saw prepared on TV and this was similar. My broccoli hating husband LOVED this! Sooo easy and tasty! This is a keeper.