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Broccoli Pesto

'it's so creamy'



There exists a classic pesto, basil pine nuts Parmesan and olive oil. The only problem is that pine nuts are expensive (They grow on trees) and you need almost a tonne of fresh basil. As such I have made several kinds of pesto-like sauces. This one exists because we have a lot of broccoli in the fridge.  This one doesn't save well because raw broccoli when minced up changes its flavor pretty quickly. So make and serve this one immediately. You can get it done more or less in the amount of time it takes to boil the pasta.

The pesto
Broccoli (one head roughly chopped)
Garlic (about three cloves, grated in a micro plane)
Nuts (a hand full of nuts, whatever you have is fine. Chopped)
Olive oil (enough)
lemon juice (about a teaspoon)
Parmesan (as much as you want so add somewhere between none (if you're vegan or dairy free) and too much(if you're decadent))
Black pepper (To taste)
Salt (to taste)
Pasta (Whichever)


  1. Add your broccoli, garlic, nuts, lemon juice and olive oil and optionally Parmesan to a food processor and blend to a rough paste. 
  2. Season to taste.
  3. Meanwhile bring a pan of salted water to the boil. add your pasta and cook until aldente. 
  4. Drain your pasta reserving a cup of the pasta cooking water.      
  5. Return your pasta to the pan and add the broccoli pesto and about a half cup of pasta water, 
  6. Put the pan on a low hob and stir like mad for about 5 minutes this will help to emulsify the sauce and make it creamy. 
Serve with a slice of crusty bread and maybe some Parmesan for sprinkling.  


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