This bright, fresh broccoli pasta is bursting with nutritious broccoli with both the broccoli pesto and whole florets throughout the dish. Simple ingredients come together in less than 30 minutes for a dinner the whole family will love!
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place 2 cups of broccoli florets and blanch, cooking for around 1 minute. Remove from water with a slotted spoon, and keep the water boiling for the pasta.
2 cups broccoli florets
Add blanched broccoli, basil, almonds, garlic, lemon zest and juice, parmesan cheese, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a coarse mixture forms. Drizzle in the olive oil while blending until combined. The pesto should be a little extra salty since it's what will add flavor to the pasta dish.
½ cup basil leaves, ¼ cup almonds or walnuts, 2 cloves garlic, 1 Tablespoon lemon zest, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon fine salt, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Pasta
Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. When 5 minutes remain on the package cook time, add the remaining 3 cups of broccoli to the pot.
3 cups broccoli florets, 16 ounces fusilli pasta
Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Drain the pasta and broccoli, then return them to the pot with the broccoli pesto. Start with adding 1/2 cup pasta water and stir to combine together; add additional pasta water as needed.
1 cup reserved pasta water
Serve with an extra squeeze of fresh lemon juice, parsley shavings, and fresh basil. Top with toasted breadcrumbs as desired.