You're gonna love this! This broccoli pesto is tangy, creamy and the perfect compliment to pasta or even better, quinoa!
Gather raw broccoli florets, heavy cream, olive oil, parmesan cheese, sliced or slivered almonds, lemon and garlic. First, steam the broccoli by simmering 3/4 cup of water in a large pot. Add salt and broccoli, cover and cook for a little over a minute until the florets don't taste raw anymore. Next toss them in a strainer and run cool water over them to stop the cooking. Take a moment to admire how beautifully green the florets are. Pretty, huh?
Next, in a food processor place 2 cups of the broccoli, 3 garlic cloves, 1/3 cup parmesan, 2 pinches of salt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of the almonds. While processing, drizzle in 1/4 olive oil, and 1/4 cup of cream until it looks like this:
If you taste it now, the tanginess will be a bit overpowering. But don't worry, once it is mixed with quinoa or pasta, it's perfect! Toss 3 cups quinoa or half a box of pasta with half the sauce (or, combine 6 cups quinoa or a whole box of pasta with all the sauce.) Top with remaining broccoli and almonds and your choice of additional toppings! I added feta cheese and pine nuts, because I had both on hand and man, it was sooooo good!
This sauce goes really well with orecchiette, as pictured, because the sauce pools in the "little ears" and it's just oh so delightful. But honestly, this sauce was made for quinoa! The texture of the pesto perfectly coats each quinoa seed and the sauces tanginess accentuates the nutty flavor of the quinoa. The only reason I don't have a quinoa picture is because we ate it so fast! Yummmmmm. I think I'll make another batch this weekend!
Broccoli Pesto
adapted from Une-deux senses.
5 cups raw broccoli florets (about one bag)
3 garlic cloves
2/3 cups sliced or slivered almonds
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (It's so worth it to grate it yourself!)
2 tbsn. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt
Simmer 3/4 cup water in a large pot. Add salt and broccoli and cook for about a minute until the vegetable doesn't taste raw anymore. Pour into a colander and run cold water over it to stop cooking.
Set aside 3 cups of the broccoli and add 2 cups to processor bowl with garlic, 1/2 cup almonds, parmesan, lemon juice and salt to taste. While processing, drizzle in olive oil and heavy cream.
Divide sauce into two equal amounts. Save one half for later, and mix the other half with 3 cups of cooked quinoa, or half a box of cooked pasta. Bon Appetit!
Broccoli Pesto
adapted from Une-deux senses.
5 cups raw broccoli florets (about one bag)
3 garlic cloves
2/3 cups sliced or slivered almonds
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (It's so worth it to grate it yourself!)
2 tbsn. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt
Simmer 3/4 cup water in a large pot. Add salt and broccoli and cook for about a minute until the vegetable doesn't taste raw anymore. Pour into a colander and run cold water over it to stop cooking.
Set aside 3 cups of the broccoli and add 2 cups to processor bowl with garlic, 1/2 cup almonds, parmesan, lemon juice and salt to taste. While processing, drizzle in olive oil and heavy cream.
Divide sauce into two equal amounts. Save one half for later, and mix the other half with 3 cups of cooked quinoa, or half a box of cooked pasta. Bon Appetit!
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