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Give me anything with pesto in it or on it and I’m probably going to love it! There’s something so perfect about the fresh basil and garlic with the nutty richness of the other ingredients. But, put it on pasta and I’m truly in heaven!
This mint pesto pasta recipe combines all the things that are so lovable about pesto and makes a few adjustments, namely by adding in some fresh mint.
I always associate mint with summertime as my mom was fond of putting into our sun tea. But, it’s got a wonderful flavor that isn’t just for drinks, desserts, and garnishes. This smooth and refreshing herb adds so much gusto and brightness to savory dishes. Combined with the lemon, basil, and parmesan it takes the pesto from good to exceptional.
Instead of adding some veggies to the pan with the pasta and sauce we’re adding some lightly-cooked broccoli right into the food processor with the pesto! This lightens the color a little but, but it also gives this pesto a bit more texture.
Instead of pine nuts, which can be hard to find, we’re using roasted almonds for this recipe. But, if you’d rather use pistachios or walnuts use those instead.
Toss this unique pesto with your pasta of choice and then garnish with some flaky sea salt and bit more parmesan on top for a really tasty and refreshing way to enjoy a classic dish.
It goes so well alongside chicken, but you could also have it with some Italian sausage, too. In fact, this dish goes with just about any protein you can imagine!
Mint Pesto Pasta
Yield(s): Serves 6
20m prep time
30m cook time
510 calories
Diet: Vegetarian
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 lb pasta of your choice
- 1/2 cup roasted, salted whole almonds
- 1 cup basil leaves
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup mint leaves, plus more for topping
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
- 1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for cooking broccoli and pasta
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 cup olive oil, plus more for topping
- flaky sea salt, for topping
Preparation
- Add broccoli to large pot of boiling, salted water. Cook for 3 minutes then remove to cool. Add pasta to water and cook to package directions.
- While pasta cooks add almonds for food processor and pulse until fine. Add lemon zest and herbs and and pulse until chopped. Add cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper and pulse again. Slowly add oil while running processor until a rough paste forms.
- Drain pasta and toss with pesto. Serve hot with some extra parmesan and some flaky sea salt on top.
Recipe adapted from Real Simple.