Pesto Broccoli Pasta with Bacon and Peas

A delightful and cost-effective pasta dish combining the flavors of homemade pesto, broccoli, bacon, and peas. Perfect for a mid-week meal and meal prep for the next day.

By @natsnourishments

Original recipe source

Cook time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 head broccoli boiled until tender
• 0 cups water for boiling
• 400 grams shell pasta or any pasta with holes
• 6 rashers bacon cut into lardons
• 1 shallot diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 50 grams frozen peas
• 1 bunch fresh basil whole leaves
• 15 grams parmesan
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Submerge the entire broccoli in a big pot of boiling water and let it boil for about 7-10 minutes until very tender.
2. Remove broccoli and chop as finely as you can. Cook the pasta in the same pot of boiling water.
3. Cut the bacon into lardons and fry until crisp, then remove from the pan.
4. In the remaining bacon fat, fry the diced shallot for a minute, followed by minced garlic for another minute.
5. Add the finely chopped broccoli to the pan and cook down for another few minutes. Add the drained pasta, frozen peas, and bacon.
6. In a pestle and mortar, combine the basil with coarse sea salt, and crush. Add grated parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice, and olive oil to form a pesto.
7. Stir the pesto into the pasta. Loosen the pasta with some pasta water, add another squeeze of lemon, and serve with more parmesan on top.