Cavatelli With Pesto And Roasted Broccoli

A quick and easy pasta dish featuring homemade pesto and roasted broccoli, perfect for a healthy and satisfying meal.

By maxbaroni.substack.com

Original recipe source

Cook time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 0 heads Broccoli
• 0 Extra virgin olive oil
• 0 Kosher salt
• 0 Black pepper
• 0 Broccoli
• 0 cup Spinach
• 0 cups Basil
• 0 cloves Garlic
• 0 cup Pine nuts
• 0 Kosher salt
• 0 Black pepper
• 0 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 0 Spinach
• 0 Basil
• 0 squeeze Lemon juice
• 0 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 0 cup Parmesan cheese
• 0 package Cavatelli pasta
• 0 cup Reserved pasta water
• 0 quantity Pesto
• 0 Cavatelli pasta
• 0 quantity Pesto
• 0 cup Reserved pasta water
• 0 Broccoli
• 0 pinch Smoked chili flakes
• 0 Extra virgin olive oil
• 0 Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Trim the broccoli and slice the stems into rounds. Toss with olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
2. Roast the broccoli for 7–10 minutes until just tender but with a bite.
3. If storing pesto, blanch spinach and basil to preserve color. Blanch in salted boiling water briefly, then shock in ice water.
4. Combine garlic, pine nuts, salt, black pepper, and half the olive oil in a blender. Pulse into a rough paste.
5. Add the blanched greens and a squeeze of lemon to the blender. Blend while streaming in remaining olive oil until smooth.
6. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and fold in the grated Parmesan cheese.
7. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1-2 cups of pasta water before draining.
8. In the empty pot, combine half the reserved pasta water and half the pesto. Stir to combine off the heat.
9. Add the drained pasta to the pot and mix well. Gradually mix in remaining pesto and pasta water to achieve a silky sauce.
10. Fold in the chopped roasted broccoli and a pinch of smoked chili flakes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
11. Serve the pasta drizzled with extra olive oil and a final grating of Parmesan cheese.