Pasta with Broccoli-Pine Nut Pesto

This broccoli pesto swaps the traditional basil for blanched broccoli florets, creating a vibrant green sauce with an earthier, more vegetal flavor that still hits all the same satisfying notes. Pine nuts and garlic get chopped in the food processor first, then the cooked broccoli goes in with olive oil, white wine vinegar, and crushed red pepper for a coarse puree with real texture.

Cooking the broccoli and pasta in the same pot of water is smart one-pot efficiency. The broccoli goes first, cooks for 6 minutes, gets scooped out, and then the farfalle goes into that same salted, slightly green-tinged water. That broccoli-flavored cooking liquid becomes part of the sauce, too.

Reserving ¾ cup of that starchy pasta water before draining is the secret to the right consistency. The starch helps the pesto cling to the bow-tie shapes instead of sliding off, and you can add it gradually to thin the sauce to your liking.

The white wine vinegar adds a subtle brightness that keeps the broccoli from tasting flat. It’s a small amount, but it lifts the whole sauce.

Pro Tips

• Process to a coarse puree, not a smooth paste. Some texture from the broccoli and pine nuts gives the sauce character.
• Toss the pasta and sauce together over medium-low heat. That brief warming step emulsifies the oil and pasta water into a cohesive, clingy sauce.
• Four large garlic cloves is bold. If you’re sensitive to raw garlic, reduce to two since it’s only briefly processed, not cooked in the sauce.
• Pass the Parmesan separately so each person can add their own amount.

Variations

• Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet before processing for a deeper, nuttier flavor.
• Add a squeeze of lemon juice instead of vinegar for a brighter citrus finish.
• Mix in sun-dried tomatoes for color contrast and a sweet, concentrated tomato flavor.