In an effort to use up the remaining vegetables, I made this spaghetti, which ended up being very amazing. The pesto is drastically improved by roasting the vegetables in the oven.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 2 |
| Yield: | 2 servings |
Ingredients
- ½ (16 ounce) package linguine pasta
- 1 large head broccoli, trimmed and chopped
- ½ cup pine nuts, chopped
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil , divided
- 2 tablespoons lemon-pepper seasoning
- ½ teaspoon chicken soup base (such as Better than Bouillon®)
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 dash balsamic vinegar (Optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook linguine at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Combine broccoli and pine nuts in a baking dish. Add Parmesan cheese, garlic, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and lemon-pepper seasoning; toss to coat.
- Bake in the preheated oven, removing every 5 minutes to stir, until broccoli is tender but still firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Drain pasta, reserving 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Mix cooking liquid with soup base in a small bowl; set aside. Return pasta to the pot.
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook, stirring often until some of the liquid has reduced, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add broccoli mixture, 2 tablespoons olive oil, butter, and balsamic vinegar; stir to combine.
- Transfer the entire vegetable mixture to the pasta pot. Add bouillon water, stir thoroughly, and serve immediately.
- You can use any Italian cheese, such as Romano, in place of the Parmesan.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 1121 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 108 g |
| Cholesterol | 24 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 12 g |
| Protein | 34 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Sodium | 1923 mg |
| Sugars | 13 g |
| Fat | 66 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
It was pretty good. I only used one clove of garlic (5 cloves seems way too much!). I messed up a little by making too much pasta – closer to 16 oz instead of 8 oz, so I did not have enough broccoli and tomatoes to keep it interesting. Taste was good, but I might pull back a little on the amount of lemon and pepper seasoning next time. Maybe 1 tablespoon instead of 2.
I also roasted peppers with broccoli. Came out great. Will make again.
This is really good, although I did not use five cloves of garlic. I used one. Albeit, this is not a pesto (nothing gets “pestato”) it is a true dish you’d find in most Italian homes. Fresh ingredients cooked healthily served with pasta. This Italian household loved it and will definitely make it again.