Roasted Broccoli Pasta with Walnut Pesto

To make this pasta for 4 large servings or 6 medium ones, you’ll need the following ingredients:

For the Pasta and Broccoli:

• Pasta – 1 lb pasta like Mafaldine (or pappardelle, tagliatelle, fettuccine, linguine, bucatini). You can also use short pasta, which combines well with the broccoli (like fusilli, penne, or orecchiette).
• Broccoli – 1 lb broccoli florets (from about 2 large broccoli heads)
• Lemon – 1 lemon (zest and 2 tbsp of lemon juice)
• Olive Oil – 1 tbsp of olive oil or your favorite oil for roasting (for the broccoli)
• Salt – 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
• Pepper – 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
• Red Pepper Flakes – 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• Walnut Pesto – 1 cup walnut basil pesto (see ingredients for homemade walnut pesto below)

For the Walnut Basil Pesto:

• Fresh Basil – 2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed) (about 4.2oz or 120 grams, when bought from the store/weighed with the stems before removing the leaves)
• Walnuts – 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• Garlic – 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Parmigiano Reggiano – 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano/Parmesan
• Salt – a pinch of kosher salt
• Black Pepper – a pinch of ground black pepper

Step 1. Make the Pesto.

Add the basil leaves, chopped walnuts, minced garlic cloves, salt, and pepper to a food processor (or blender). Puree/blend for about 20 seconds.

Scrape the sides with a silicone spatula and repeat until the basil is finely minced.

Add the grated parmesan and puree/blend again for a few seconds until the parmesan is mixed in.

While pureeing/blending, slowly add the olive oil. Slowly adding the oil while blending/processing helps emulsify the pesto.

Once the pesto is ready, you can give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed (adding more salt or pepper) and consistency (adding a bit more oil if you want it more liquid).

Step 2. Roast the Broccoli.

Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).

Add the broccoli florets to a roasting tray/baking sheet (preferably covered with baking paper for easier cleanup). If the florets are too big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Add 1 tbsp of oil, salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes and toss them with your hands to distribute the oil and seasonings evenly.

Roast the broccoli until tender and slightly charred (about 20-25 minutes).

When the broccoli is roasted, remove the tray from the oven and toss the roasted broccoli with 1 tbsp of juice, lemon zest, and 2 tbsp of pesto.

Step 3. Boil the Pasta

While the broccoli is roasting, prepare the pasta. Put a pot of water on to boil and salt it generously. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and boil for the time indicated on the packaging.

For the mafaldine pasta pictured here, it’s about 10 minutes.

Step 4. Combine the pasta with the pesto and roasted broccoli.

When the pasta has boiled, reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. Combine the cooked pasta with the pesto, 1/3 cup of pasta water, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, and toss. Add the roasted broccoli, and give it another toss.

Taste the pasta and, if needed, add salt and pepper to your preference. As the pasta water contains salt and the pesto has salt and pepper, you might not need any additional seasoning (depending on your preference).

You can serve it in a big bowl like I have below and let everyone take as much as they want.