Roasted Broccoli Pesto
One of the absolute keys to this version of broccoli pesto being so delicious is roasting of the broccoli. I tinkered around with this recipe a lot, but started off by using raw broccoli and blitzing it with pesto ingredients. I knew there was potential, but something wasn’t sitting right with me. The broccoli just wasn’t shining through as it should be. Sooooooooo, I roasted the buggers before blitzing and the difference was huge. Roasting transforms the flavour AND texture of broccoli and quite frankly I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner. Just pop it in a tray with a good glug of oil and a hefty pinch of salt & pepper and roast until tender and slightly charred. THAT my friend, will give you the base of a delicious broccoli pesto.
Basil Broccoli Pesto
The second mistake I made whilst testing this recipe was to replace the basil with broccoli. Again, something was lacking. OKAY I HEAR YOU. Obviously it was the basil… Learn from my mistakes, add your broccoli to the basil pesto, don’t replace the basil. I’ve got a more comprehensive post on How to make Basil Pesto, so do check that out if you’ve got time, but for now here’s what you’ll need for the broccoli version:
Broccoli Pesto Ingredients
Roasted Broccoli Fresh Basil Freshly Grated Parmesan Pine Nuts Garlic Lemon Juice Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Broccoli Pesto Pasta with Bacon
Because really, I know we’ve heard it all before, but bacon really DOES make everything better 😏 At least in this case anyway. The bacon adds a nice rich salty flavour to the pesto and also bulks it out a little bit. The process itself is actually really simple. The main thing I recommend is to combine everything in a bowl. Or at least in the pan with the heat OFF. Direct heat causes fresh basil to burn and pesto to go greasy. The leftover heat from the pasta will gently cook the pesto.
How to make Broccoli Pesto with Bacon (quick summary)
Add diced bacon to a pan. Fry until crisp. Add cooked pasta to a bowl. Combine with bacon, bacon grease and splash of pasta water. Stir to combine. Add broccoli pesto and chilli flakes (optional)
And there we have it! The funkiest pesto pasta you’ll ever have, for all the right reasons. Quick to make, easy to prepare and absolutely delicious to make. If you like the sound of this then I’m confident you’ll love these too:
Alternative Pesto Recipes
Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Pasta Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread Chicken Pesto Grilled Cheese Pistachio Pesto
Fun Broccoli Recipes
Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Bacon Cheesy Broccoli Baked Potatoes Broccoli Pasta Bake Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese
Alrighty, let’s tuck into this broccoli pesto pasta recipe!
How to make Broccoli Pesto Pasta (Full Recipe & Video)
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