Serves 4
This is a perfect summertime pasta dish that your whole family will love! Instead of a traditional pesto, this variation with broccoli with a simple lemony olive oil sauce is so delicious and still feels indulgent even without a thick creamy sauce. The dish is loaded with tons of health benefits from the veggies, it's packed with protein, fiber and healthy fats, and couldn’t be easier to make!
Ingredients:
- 1 box Banza chickpea pasta
- 6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups shaved or finely chopped broccoli florets
- 2 tbsp. minced yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley and a little extra to sprinkle on top of pasta at the end
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 3 tbsp. salt
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (optional), for dairy free use ¼ cup nutritional yeast
Preparation:
- Cook pasta according to box. Drain pasta, reserving 1 ½ cups pasta cooking water. Set pasta and cooking water aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, put pine nuts in dry skillet and toast, stirring for 2-3 minutes until they turn golden brown. Remove toasted pine nuts from skillet and set aside.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of the oil to the skillet. Add broccoli, onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add parsley, pine nuts and basil leaves. Sir to incorporate.
- Turn heat to low simmer and add drained pasta, and toss to coat.
- Add lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper and ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Toss to incorporate and keep adding remaining pasta water 1-2 tablespoons at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Sprinkle with cheese or nutritional yeast (optional) and drizzle with remaining olive oil.
- Enjoy!