I love creative variations on a traditional basil pesto. Here, I used broccoli in addition to fresh basil, pine nuts, Pecorino cheese, olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. An extra layer of flavor is created when, instead of blanching the broccoli in boiling water, you roast it instead. Half of the roasted broccoli goes into the food processor to make the delectable pests sauce, and the other half stays whole and is tossed into the pasta, along with cubes of salty, roasted pancetta. Buon appetito.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Bowtie Pasta with Roasted Broccoli Pesto & Pancetta
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. bowtie pasta
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2 oz. cubed pancetta
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- ½ cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
- Juice of 1 lemon
- More grated cheese for serving
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the bowtie pasta for 10-12 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and place the bowties in a large mixing bowl.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the broccoli florets and pancetta cubes on the baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with a touch of olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Roast the broccoli and pancetta for 25 minutes.
- Take half of the roasted broccoli and place it in a food processor. (Just the broccoli, not the pancetta!) Add in the pine nuts, fresh basil, garlic, cheese and the lemon juice. Puree until broken up; add the ½ cup of oil into the food processor and pulse until smooth. Taste the pesto and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Toss the pasta with the pesto sauce, the remaining broccoli florets, and the cooked pancetta. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if needed to thin out the sauce. Serve with additional cheese if desired.
Tagged: bowtie pasta, broccoli pesto, fresh basil, Italian, pancetta, pasta, pine nuts, roasted broccoli
Leave a Reply