When I’m deep in a busy season, a thirty minute dinner in the roster is necessary. This broccoli basil pasta has a bit of a pesto pasta feel, but it is definitely creamier, more mellow, and of course the broccoli plays its part. As one reader put it: “Great, layered and flavourful pesto. It also freezes super well, so you can make ahead and just add roasted veggies and pasta.” I recommend finishing with a drizzle of chili oil and a shower of vegan parmesan on top.
We sauté the broccoli stems and incorporate them into the final sauce. Minimal waste, maximum taste! The stems get blended with soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, miso, lemon, basil, and water into something lush and deeply savory. Half the sautéed broccoli florets go into the blender too, which gives the sauce its pretty green color and that unmistakable broccoli note.
Old reliable soaked raw cashews are the sauce MVP here–a vegan cooking staple! Once we get a super thick base going and add it to the pasta, it is just a matter of adding pasta cooking water to make the sauce more fluid but still thick enough to cling to every piece.
We go heavy on basil, garlic, lemon, and nutritional yeast, so all of those comforting and familiar pesto notes are there. This is a great weeknight dinner that truly comes together in 30 minutes and makes excellent leftovers. I could see this also being a great baked pasta dish with some melty vegan cheese on top!
30 Minute Broccoli Basil Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 broccoli stalks (600 grams)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- ¾ cup water, plus extra
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon white miso
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup basil leaves, lightly packed (plus extra)
- 375 grams short pasta of choice
To Serve (optional)
- chili-infused olive oil or chili crisp
- vegan parmesan
- extra black pepper
Equipment
- Blender
Notes
- If you can’t have cashews, I recommend substituting with soaked macadamia nuts, sliced almonds, raw sunflower seeds or pine nuts. Macadamia nuts will need a longer soaking time to soften up—probably around 8 hours.
- For a heartier vibe, you could add one cup of cooked and drained white beans to this pasta at the end when you’re stirring everything together.
- My go-to pasta lately is basic whole wheat or whole spelt penne. The starchy cooking water from these types perform well here.
- Some blistered cherry tomatoes on top of this pasta would be divine! Just sauté whole cherry tomatoes in olive oil until they start bursting and softening.
Instructions
- Cut the stem away from the broccoli and break up the florets into bite sized pieces. Peel the tough outer layer of the broccoli stems, revealing the tender inner stalk. Roughly chop the stems and keep them separate from the florets.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Pour in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and swirl it around. Add the broccoli stems and season them with salt and pepper. Sauté the broccoli stems until they turn bright green, about 5 minutes. Then, pour in a splash of water and close a lid on top. Continue cooking until tender, about 3 more minutes. Transfer the sautéed broccoli stems to an upright blender.
- Return the sauté pan to the stove over medium heat. Pour int he remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shallot to the pan and sauté until soft about 2-3 minutes. Then, add the broccoli florets to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and chili to the pan as well and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in a big splash of water and place a lid on top. Cook until the broccoli is just starting to get tender, about 6 minutes. Then, turn off the heat.
- Transfer half of the sautéed broccoli mixture to the blender. Keep the remaining sautéed broccoli in the pan. Into the blender, also add the cashews, nutritional yeast, miso, lemon zest, lemon juice, basil, ¾ cup water, and some salt and pepper. Blend the mixture on high until completely smooth. Pour this thick sauce back into the sauté pan.
- Cook your pasta according to package directions in well-salted water. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Once pasta is drained, add it to the sauté pan with the sauce along with the reserved sautéed broccoli mixture. Stir it all together to combine. Add reserved pasta water until you have a creamy and fluid consistency. Serve immediately with extra basil, drizzles of chili oil, extra black pepper etc on top.
Hi Laura!
This was delicious!
I have extra sauce left. How long will it keep inside the fridge?
Thanks
Hi Valerie! I would say 3 days is the maximum for this one.
-L
I make this all the time! Comes together so fast and is a hearty green dinner :)
Great
Loved this! Have made it several times. Great, layered and flavourful pesto. It also freezes super well, so you can make ahead and just add roasted veggies and pasta.
I made this tonight, it was great! I made a bunch of little eyeball tweaks to the pesto, doubling most of the spice and adding a little bit of sunflower seeds for texture, and I took your advice and added burst tomatoes. I also used broccolini instead of broccoli, as I’m just generally not a fan of broccoli. Great base recipe and the cashews made it so creamy!
Delicious! Thank you!