Whole Wheat Pasta and White Beans with Broccoli Pesto
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With bright green broccoli pesto, whole wheat pasta and white beans is a healthy vegetarian entree that will please everyone.
One of my goals for this year is to incorporate more meatless meals into my menus. Better for me, better for the planet. Is my husband enthusiastic about this goal? Not particularly, the guy likes meat.
Well, when I saw this recipe (from Everyday Food magazine) I knew it would be perfect. Cannellini beans for protein, along with hearty whole wheat pasta, topped with good-for-you broccoli pesto. And, I can easily toss in cooked chicken into hubby’s portion. Perfecto!
And it is oh so bright green and pretty!
Go Green!
Sorry, I like to drive my dad and father-in-law nuts by cheering for Michigan State. I did go there for two years. I’ll be raising my daughter as a Spartan no matter how hard they try to dress her in blue and maize.
Sorry, I digress. Back to the pasta.
About this pasta with broccoli pesto
The broccoli is cooked briefly in the pasta water. Fish it out of the water and then put the pasta in. Tricky, huh? Only one pan dirty, and isn’t that great?
To make the pesto, the cooked broccoli is added to your food processor along with Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and zest, parsley (more green!), and garlic. Whirl that around while drizzling in olive oil.
I realize it sort of looks like green slime. My husband walked in the room and bent down and smelled it. I’m sure he was thinking, “Oh boy, what is this woman serving me tonight?”
However, I assure you that it tastes delicious! Flavored with broccoli (obviously), lemon, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil, this pesto is not boring.
By the way, have you tried my nut free Arugula Pesto Recipe? Or this fun orange carrot pesto? Think outside of the box and you can come up with lots of exciting variations from the normal basil pesto.
I like to garnish this pasta dish with pine nuts even though there aren’t pine nuts in the pesto, as is the custom. If you prefer, this can be a totally nut free recipe. However…
I know I’ve professed my love for pine nuts before, but oh my oh my oh my. Love the things. I could eat them by the handful. And if you missed it the first time, I toast the little guys in the microwave. Actually, I toast all my nuts in the microwave. Forty-five second intervals on high power until toasted and fragrant. Easy peasy.
More one pot pastas
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 4 cups cut broccoli (about one head)
- 1 pkg. (12 ounces) whole wheat rotini
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley
- half of a small garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 1 can (15.5 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- salt and pepper to taste
- toasted pine nuts, to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Salt the water, add broccoli and cook until tender (about 4 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, remove broccoli from water and put into a food processor.
- Add pasta to the same boiling water that you took the broccoli out of. Cook according to package directions. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water when the pasta is done cooking. Drain pasta and return to pan.
- While pasta is cooking, add 1/4 cup Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley and garlic to the broccoli in the food processor. Pulse until mixture begins to combine. With processor on, drizzle in olive oil and continue to blend until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Add pesto and beans to the pot with the pasta, stirring until combined. Add pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce to desired consistency. Cook over medium heat until heated through.
- Serve sprinkled with reserved Parmesan and toasted pine nuts, if desired.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
katie says
Man… we are so much a like its scary! I just blogged about this recipe today, but I used cavatappi pasta! Your pesto came out much smoother than mine and just like your husband mine agreed that he would eat it again only if chicken was served with it…
now on to the Amazon gift card part… I live on Amazon so I could easily buy some camera supplies, or a new Le Creuset pan, or some drawer tracks for the dressers we are restoring, or books, music, etc… you get the idea. I’m Amazon obsessed! lol.
Geni says
I love this healthy version of a pesto. It does look fantastic with the bright and creamy green. I can easily go without meat, but I DO love the fact that this has bean for protein. Way to go with sticking to your new plan! :)
Susan in the Boonies says
I know, I SHOULD do whole wheat pasta. It’s one healthy switch that has been very hard (nay, nigh unto impossible) for me to make. With mushrooms and an olive oil or buttery sauce, I could do it. MAYBE with this recipe. But I feel cheated with most other recipes.
Deborah says
I am loving that green color!!
Sheila says
Looks delicious and so healthy!
Nancy says
It’s so green! Not sure if I could eat it with that color :) You were visited and gifted with a gift card from Amazon? Lucky girl- spend it on something fun for yourself instead of diapers. I’m really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow-N
Aggie says
I love this, looks so delicious! I have never made pesto out of broccoli, what a great idea! I bet if I served this to the kiddos on St Patty’s day they’d eat it ;)
Leslie Means @ Her View From Home says
I love pine nuts! YUM!! I have a fantastic summer salad that includes pine nuts. Oh man..now I wish it was summer. :)
Deanna says
I love pine nuts. I put them in everything. I just made Rosemary Pine Nut Cookies which were uh-mazing. And I will put them in this pasta. Because I don’t need an excuse to eat pine nuts.
Dana says
I love pesto, and happen to have a head of broccoli in my fridge right now! Looks like I’ll be having this in the near future!
amanda @ fake ginger says
Oooh, I love how bright this is! My husband & kids would never eat it but it’d be a perfect lunch for me!
CulinarilyCourtney says
This is such a creative recipe! I used to be vegetarian for about 2 years, and even though I’m not any more, I still love finding great vegetarian recipes because they are usually cheap but tasty to make. Yum!
Dana Jenkins says
This looks so good, I will have to try it.
I would wish for a large spice rack.
Have a great day and thanks for the recipes!
Melissa says
I am going to have to try this one–my husband won’t even need the chicken added but my son will but my son actually likes pesto even if it is green (green being his fav color but not to eat). Wish list: unending but….sewing machine or bigger food processor (got a mini one and love it, may need a bigger one)
Shari says
Perfect for our family. I’d have to substitute quinoa pasta because I can fool my family with that. They notice whole wheat pasta and don’t like to eat it :(