I gave a little spin to one of my favourite Italian classic, pasta with pesto, using my beloved @tenderstem broccoli, the ultimate versatile vegetable which can be added to any cuisine across the globe – from stir fry, ramen curries and yes, pasta too! Tenderstem^® broccoli only takes minutes to cook making it perfect for an adventurous mid-week meal. This pumpkin seed pesto Orecchiette with Tenderstem^® broccoli and grilled courgette is the perfect summer pasta dish, ideal for dinners al fresco, picnic or packed lunches too!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the pesto:

1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds 

A generous handful of basil leaves 

2 tbsp of nutritional yeast 

The juice of 1 lemon 

1-2 garlic clove 

A generous pinch of salt 

3-4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

About 250g of dried orecchiette pasta 

1 courgette 

Around 200g of Tenderstem^® broccoli

Some olive oil for cooking 

Optional: a sprinkle of chilli flakes 

Start by making the pesto: simply place all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz for few minutes until you have a creamy and fairly smooth mixture. If the pesto looks a bit too thick you can also add a splash of water. Leave the pesto onto one side.

Slice the courgette into thick slices. Heat up a griddle pan and grill the courgette slices on each side for about 1-2 minutes.  In a separate pan add about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once hot add in the 

Tenderstem^® broccoli. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the packet’s instructions.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and mix it straight away with the pesto. Add the grilled courgette and Tenderstem^® broccoli and mix everything together. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.