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This vegan broccoli pesto pasta recipe is a delicious way to get more vegetables into your diet and perfect for weeknights.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pasta and Shiitake Bacon:
- Fine sea salt
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms (about 8 medium mushrooms), stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound orecchiette (or other short-cut pasta like farfalle or fusilli)
- One 14-ounce can of butter beans, drained and rinsed
For the Broccoli Pesto:
- Fine sea salt
- 1 small head of broccoli, stemmed and cut into florets (about 4 cups)
- 1 packed cup basil leaves, (about ½ bunch)
- ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds* (you may also use pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds)
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 heaping tablespoon miso
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil for the pasta, and simultaneously bring a bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil for the broccoli.
- Meanwhile, make the Shiitake Bacon: Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet (if your baking sheet is not non-stick, use parchment paper), drizzle with the oil and ¼ teaspoon salt, and toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer and roast until browned and crispy, 20 to 25 minutes, tossing once halfway through cooking. Remove from the oven and set aside; the ‘bacon’ will crisp up as it cools.
- Make the Pesto: Cook the broccoli in the medium pot of water for 2 minutes, just until it turns bright green. Drain and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until the broccoli is broken down. Add the basil, pumpkin seeds, garlic, miso, black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt and pulse until everything is broken down. With the motor running, slowly stream in the olive oil and lemon juice, and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Cook the pasta in the large pot of boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot and add the pesto, beans, most of the shiitake bacon (save a bit for garnishing), and the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir to combine, taste, and adjust the seasonings if needed. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe
- Calories: 438
- Fiber: 5.7 g
- Protein: 13.3 g
Keywords: pasta, broccoli, pesto, shiitake bacon, vegan
