Broccoli Pesto Pasta

This pesto pasta is a staple in our house and is a great way to give kids a few extra servings of vegetables. The pesto is primarily made of broccoli - it's so delicious combined with pepitas (or toasted almonds, I keep it nut free so I can send it to school with my daughter), a little chili flake, pecorino or parmesan, garlic, kosher salt and olive oil. It refrigerates and freezes well if you want to make a big batch of it.

For the actual pasta, I keep it simple here and just cook off a short dried pasta (like orecchiette or shells) and add in some chopped Kalamata olives. I also love making this pasta with some cooked off sausage (mild Italian pork sausage, chicken sausage, or you could use a meatless sausage as well). To do this version, cook the sausage in a large skillet, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon until cooked through. Then add in the pesto, olives, pasta and some pasta cooking liquid per the directions below to finish.

This dish is GF if you use GF pasta, and dairy free if you use dairy free parm.

Serves 4.