Pesto Pasta with Peas and Broccoli
Pesto Pasta with Peas and Broccoli is a hearty recipe, full of flavor yet light on the stomach. Prepare this quick pasta the night ahead for a healthy lunch, served hot or cold, at work or for a weekend picnic.
When away from home isn’t there something that you crave? No matter how far away you are or how good the food scene is, you instinctually compare it to your favorite? A pastry from the corner cafe or a specific sushi roll from ‘your spot’? Well, mine is pasta. The comfort and satisfaction that warm pasta, enveloped in a delicious sauce brings isn’t easily recreated by other meals. And for that, I crave it every-single-day.
Wrap pasta in a rich pesto sauce with sautéed vegetables. The combination of hearty pesto alongside crispy broccoli and peas conjures up a full belly-esque satisfaction. From a pesto rooted in fresh herbs, nuts and leafy green to satiating broccoli, this pasta delivers on flavors while keeping it light on your stomach. I often make this pasta in bulk as its equally delicious served cold or hot. An ideal meal to pack away for a weekend picnic, served cold or brought to work.
And even though a few pics below were taken on an organic farm in Singapore, which also had an exceptionally delicious organic cafe, I still craved pasta. Thank you Italy for instilling an irrevocable desire for fresh pasta even in the face of fresh garden greens.
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients for the Pesto Pasta with Veggies:
- pesto recipe here or here ( I used the second recipe)
- 1/2 bag–1 bag of brown rice pasta (or any type)
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 brocccoli head
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
-pasta water
- sea salt
Instructions:
Start by filling a large saucepan with boiling water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Now make the pesto by blending all the ingredients into a food processor until creamy. Add the pasta to the boiling water and stir occasionally.
In the meantime, sauté the veggies. Start by defrosting the frozen peas (run them under warm water) and cut the broccoli head into large chunks, discarding the large stem. Add the olive oil, pasta water and roughly chopped garlic to a saucepan and warm on medium-high heat. Add the peas and broccoli. Continually add the water from the pasta to the sautéing veggies (not letting the veggies dry out) and salt until they are crunchy yet soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and mix with the pesto and veggies. Enjoy!
I hope you guys love this quick pasta! I can't get over how much flavor the pesto and pasta water brings to the sauteed veggies! Love a good pesto pasta :)
Another thank you for tagging me in your food creations on instagram this week! It really is wonderful to see the food from the blog through your eyes. So glad you guys are loving the recipes! You can find me at #8thandlake or click on the link below.
xx Marie