Broccoli Pesto Spaghetti
Updated
Updated
This Broccoli Pesto Spaghetti is a simple, uncomplicated, healthy, and delicious 20 minute meal.
We like to enjoy this for lunch or a light dinner with a cup of soup or a simple salad. It can be served hot, warm, or cold!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItThis post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we genuinely love.
Broccoli Pesto with Spaghetti
This Broccoli Pesto with Spaghetti is from Donna Hay – Australian food stylist, author, and magazine editor. Nominated for a James Beard Award in Photography and a James Beard Award for General Cooking, with 22 award-winning cookbooks, which have sold over 4 million copies worldwide and translated into nine languages.
Yet her recipes are unbelievably simple and completely home cook friendly. And so good. Crazy good. She proves that great food doesn’t have to be complicated or include 50 different ingredients to achieve a flavorful meal.
This broccoli pesto is a delicious twist on traditional basil pesto, but with broccoli. It’s genius really.
Ingredients Needed
This pesto sauce recipe comes together with just 6 ingredients, plus some seasonings, so purchase the best quality ingredients you can find.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Broccoli – Fresh broccoli cut into florets.
- Garlic – Fresh is a must.
- Parsley – Pesto can be made with different herbs, but we used parsley this time, which compliments the broccoli nicely.
- Pine nuts – We toast them first for added flavor.
- Olive oil – This is what turns it into a sauce and makes it creamy and rich.
- Parmesan – Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano off the block.
- Seasonings – Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
- Pasta – Cooked pasta for serving.
Recipe Variations
- Switch up the nuts. Try using almonds or walnuts in place of the pine nuts.
- Try a different cheese. Pecorino, Romano, or Asiago could also work in place of the Parmesan.
- Use a different herb. All out of parsley? Try using fresh basil or cilantro (though this will change the taste of the pesto quite a bit).
How to Make Broccoli Pesto
It’s SO easy to make this broccoli pesto recipe. You simply steam the broccoli until crisp-tender, then place it, along with all the ingredients (except the Parmesan), in the bowl of a food processor. Blitz until pureed. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Toss with cooked pasta and enjoy with the Parmesan! (Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
Proper Storage
Spaghetti coated in broccoli pesto can be enjoyed hot, warm, or cold! Any leftovers should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container and will keep up to 3 days. Reheat gently, if desired, in the microwave until warmed through.
More Quick and Easy Pasta Recipes:
- Chicken Pot Pie Noodles
- Creamy Bacon & Peas Pasta
- Chicken Alfredo
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Broccoli and Bacon Pasta
- One-Pan Sausage Pasta
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Broccoli Pesto Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 7 ounces thin spaghetti
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 clove garlic, , roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- pinch red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, al dente.
- In the meantime, in a steamer set over boiling water, steam broccoli, covered, until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Place steamed broccoli, garlic, parsley, pine cuts, olive oil, pinch of red pepper flakes, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a food processor and give it a whirl until it’s finely chopped.
- Drain pasta and toss with the broccoli mixture. Season with a bit more salt and pepper.
- Serve hot, warm, or cold with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
This was even better than I thought it was going to be. HA. Just simple and flavorful. Loved it, will make again and again.
This looks absolutely divine! So tasty it’s making me hungry again and it’s past dinner. Love it!
I’m in love!!! What a great recipe. This even got my family to eat broccoli, so I’m grateful. Thanks, Amy!
Broccoli pesto is genius. LOVE!
This pasta is so yummy!
This would also work very nice with basil pesto. Very nice idea for quick lunch.
You photos are gorgeous! And I love the idea of broccoli pesto, fabulous!
I am all about fresh & light food in the summer–especially anything pesto related. Most of my family reacts as if I’m poisoning them if I try to feed them basil pest, so broccoli pesto might be a great compromise.
Broccoli pesto for the win! I haven’t made it since last summer. I’m overdo for it again.
I actually never heard of Donna Hay until just now. I feel ashamed. This pesto looks and sounds AMAZING! Billy isn’t a huge fan of traditional pesto, so I’m always super psyched to try variations like this. Perfect for the warmer weather, too! I will have to check out this book for sure!
I love trying different kinds of pesto. This broccoli version was so good and such a great way to sort of hide the vegetable from my vegetable-hating kids! Lol.
I’ve been wanting to try this, I knew it would be amazing! Such a gorgeous cookbook.
This was a big hit over here and will be going into the dinner rotation!
I have so many cookbooks and I need to make more of an effort to cook from them. I love the idea of using broccoli for pesto!
I haven’t met a pesto that I didn’t love and this one was no exception. YUMMY!!
Donna Hay’s books are incredible, aren’t they? Looks like this one is no exception. Can’t wait to get a copy.
I just love this cookbook and I need to add this recipe to my must-make list. Love your photos, btw!
OOOh, we loved this – my kids are both pasta & broccoli addicts! Since they are allergic to nuts I swapped out the pine nuts – thank you!
This. This is just lovely. Made it for lunch two days in a row.
Oooooh! Broccoli pesto sounds yummy!
Broccoli pesto sounds awesome, and so does that cookbook! I’ll have to see if they have it at the library. Thank you for the recommendation!
This was a lovely light supper. Really enjoyed it, thank you for sharing!
Great and flavorful, so light and fresh and quick and easy. We loved it.
I agree that great food doesn’t have to be complicated! Love this light and fresh pesto pasta!
We have this cookbook too (it’s wonderful!) and love this recipe – so delicious!
I love this! The idea of a broccoli pesto is brilliant and it tasted so fresh and bright! Perfect for summer time.
Wow! What a great find, if this recipe is any indication! I love this pesto!