Pesto Pasta with Broccoli & Tomatoes
From: Ian Seddon's Cookbook
🥘 Ingredients
- Basil Pesto 0.67 cup
- cherry tomatoes 1
- extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp
- dried oregano ½ tsp
- Kosher
- small lemon 1
- cannellini beans 1
- long or ridged pasta 10 oz
- of small-medium-sized broccoli florets from 10 oz
- fresh basil and/or flat-leaf parsley 1 handful
- oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes 1 ¾ oz
- nutritional yeast 1 tbsp
To stretch out this meal more, you can use up to 12 oz of pasta, but it will be a bit less saucy. If you prefer very saucy pasta, use just 8 oz of pasta. Storage: Store the assembled pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. It’s great cold (pasta salad-style!), but if desired, reheat in the microwave, or on the stovetop with a touch of oil over medium heat, until heated through, adding a splash of water if needed. Add on freshly chopped basil/parsley if you have any and a squeeze of lemon juice if desired. Nutrition boost: Use whole wheat pasta for added fiber, or a “protein pasta” (our favorite is this one, made from a combo of semolina wheat and lupini beans). For more protein, stir some hemp seeds into the Basil Pesto before tossing it with the pasta in step 8. Shortcut: If you bought pre-cut broccoli, cut the florets into small-medium pieces.
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1Gather: Basil Pesto , cherry tomatoes , extra virgin olive oil , dried oregano , Kosher salt or sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, small lemon , cannellini beans , long or ridged pasta , of small-medium-sized broccoli florets from , fresh basil and/or flat-leaf parsley , oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes , nutritional yeast .
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2Remove the Basil Pesto from the fridge. If it has solidified, place the jar in a bowl of hot water. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil for the pasta.
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3In a bowl, toss sliced tomatoes with the olive oil, oregano, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Taste, adding more salt or oil. Set aside to marinate.
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4Zest and juice 1 lemon. Set aside the zest for step 9.
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5From the heaping 2/3 cup of Basil Pesto, measure out 2 tbsp of pesto into a medium bowl. Add the cannellini beans, 1 tsp of lemon juice, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Toss well; set aside to marinate.
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6Prepare your side salad, if you’re making one.
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7Once the water is boiling, add 1 tbsp kosher salt or 2 tsp sea salt. Add the pasta and set a timer according to the box’s minimum time for al dente pasta, minus 2 ½ minutes. For instance, if the box says “cook for 9-11 minutes for al dente pasta,” set a timer for 6 ½ minutes (9 - 2 ½ = 6 ½). Once the timer goes off, add the broccoli to the pot. Cook until the pasta is barely al dente and the florets are bright green and tender but with a bite, 2 ½ minutes. Drain the pasta and broccoli but do not rinse. Shake the colander to dry well. Return the pasta and broccoli to the pot (off the heat).
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8While the pasta cooks, chop the basil/parsley if using, and drain and chop your sun-dried tomatoes.
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9To the pasta and broccoli pot, add the remaining Basil Pesto. Add a few squeezes of lemon juice, the nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp kosher salt, and several twists of pepper. Toss with a spatula until the pasta is evenly coated.
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10Add the lemon zest, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, pesto-marinated beans, marinated cherry tomatoes, and a healthy drizzle of olive oil. Toss again. Season to taste with more lemon juice, salt, or pepper as desired.
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11Garnish the pasta with chopped basil or parsley, if using. Serve with your side salad, if you made one.