Nutritionist and content creator Emily English has shared a simple way to make pesto pasta more nutritious and flavourful by adding broccoli. In a recent TikTok video, she demonstrated how to create a vibrant green sauce that boosts fibre intake without sacrificing taste.
Emily said: “If you love pasta but you also love getting in your greens, then this is the recipe for you. I love a pesto pasta, and this is an absolute superfood version. If you want something that’s going to nourish you but also tastes absolutely delicious, then here’s how to make it.”
Broccoli pesto pasta recipe
While Emily makes her pesto from scratch, a shop-bought jar can be used instead. The key addition is one head of broccoli, blended with other pesto ingredients to create a sauce. She continued: “It’s not allowed to be that good.”
Each serving contains approximately 465 calories, seven grams of fibre and 19 grams of protein. The recipe serves four.
Ingredients
- 300g pasta (such as rigatoni or fusilli)
- One small head of broccoli, cut into florets
- One small garlic clove
- 20g pumpkin seeds
- 40g pecorino, finely grated
- 60g fresh basil
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Two anchovy fillets
- Two tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 100g ricotta, to serve
Method
Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the broccoli and cook for three to four minutes until tender and bright green. Lift the broccoli from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer it straight into a bowl of iced water (keep the broccoli water). This stops it from cooking and keeps the colour vibrant. After a few minutes, drain well.
Bring the broccoli water back to the boil, add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, add the drained broccoli to a blender with the garlic, pumpkin seeds, pecorino, basil, lemon zest and juice, and anchovies. Pulse until chunky and textured. Then add in the olive oil and a little pasta water at a time until you have a loose pesto consistency. Season with plenty of black pepper and salt to taste, keeping in mind that the anchovies and pecorino are already salty.
Before draining the pasta, reserve a large mugful of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan and toss through the broccoli pesto, adding more pasta water as needed until the sauce is silky and coats every piece. If you fancy, add some chilli flakes for heat. Divide between bowls and finish each serving with a generous dollop of ricotta, extra black pepper and a little more pecorino.
The dish can also be served cold the next day. Emily’s video has been viewed over 35,700 times, receiving 2,125 likes. One commenter, Chloe, wrote: “So yummy!! I love how this is a nut-free pesto, as I have a severe nut allergy, so this will be perfect, and I bet it would taste yummy as a pasta salad the next day.” Another user, Lauravals, suggested: “Try it with cavolo nero.”
