Every summer, we make heaping batches of basil pesto. We love having a bright, herb sauce to throw into salads, eggs, or anything that needs an herb-y flavor. During the winter, when basil is not abundantly lining farmer’s market stalls, we miss having this condiment in our fridge. To have something bright and delicious on hand during winter months, we created this broccoli pesto. This pesto is full of bright flavors from the mint and lemon but has a little heat from the red pepper and garlic. It is all balanced by the nutty pistachios and extra virgin olive oil. This broccoli pesto will make anything more delicious and is full of the brightest flavors.
One of our favorite ways to use this pesto is grain bowls. We love adding a heaping scoop on top of mixed grains with grilled chicken, slow roasted sweet potatoes, and cucumber salad. This pesto adds flavor to anything it is added to. It adds a lightness and fresh flavors. The lemon zest and mint pair with just about anything and bring bright notes to salads and bowls.
To make the broccoli pesto:
Making the broccoli pesto couldn’t be easier. Start by blanching 1 crown of broccoli florets in a pot of boiling water until they are bright green. Quickly toss the al dente broccoli into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Do the same blanching process with the kale and spinach. Once all the vegetables are cooled, place them into a blender with the rest of the ingredients. Blend the mixture until smooth and creamy. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Ingredient Notes:
- Broccoli: Broccoli makes up the body of the pesto. It adds a lighter texture than most pestos making it more similar to a hummus texture. Unlike pesto made just with basil, the broccoli adds more body making the texture more similar to a dip and less like a sauce. It is delicious and makes it the perfect thing to scoop onto bowls or salads.
- Black Kale and Spinach: We add a few more leafy greens to the pesto to mimic basil in traditional pesto. These help with the bright green color and add even more vitamins into the pesto. If you only have one or the other, that works too– just use ½ cup in total of raw kale ribbons or spinach and blanch for about a minute.
- Blanching: To keep the pesto bright green (and the veggies at the perfect texture), be sure to blanch the broccoli and kale/spinach. To blanch the vegetables, place them in a pot of boiling water. While they are boiling, get an ice bath ready (water and ice). Once the broccoli is bright green, place it immediately in the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Do the same with the kale and spinach. But simply cook the kale and spinach for 30 seconds.
- Pistachios: We love adding pistachios for the flavor, but any kind of nut can be used here. Our favorite nuts to use are roasted, salted, pistachio kernels.
- Garlic: Garlic adds flavor and a kick to this pesto. To ensure it is not overpowering, use a small clove or half a clove (you can always add more!)
- Mint: Mint adds brightness and freshness to the pesto. We add a packed quarter cup to ensure the mint flavor comes through.
- Lemon zest and juice: We try to add lemon zest anywhere that calls for lemon juice. The zest has all the oils from the lemon and adds flavor and lemony notes with very little tartness. To get the zest, use a microplane or the zesting side of a box grater, but make sure to stop the zest once the white (pith) peaks through. The white under the zest is a very bitter part of the lemon, we only want the bright, yellow outside.
- Salt, pepper, red pepper: Classic, simple seasonings for salt and a little bit of heat.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Olive oil adds a buttery texture to the pesto. It also thins out the pesto (along with the water) for the perfect consistency. We use extra virgin olive oil for the purer taste since this oil is not cooked, but blended directly into the pesto.
Can I use other veggies in the broccoli pesto?
The broccoli is the main component to the pesto, so we do not recommend making a swap for it, but the spinach and kale can be swapped for any leafy green!
Can I use other nuts?
Yes! Our favorites are pistachios. They add great flavor and texture to the pesto, but any nut will work here. We prefer roasted, salted varieties, but raw nuts will also work.
How long does the broccoli pesto last?
The pesto lasts for about a week in the fridge if covered and well sealed.
Broccoli pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup broccoli florets blanched
- 1/4 cup black kale blanched
- 1/4 cup spinach blanched
- 5 tbsp pistachios roasted and salted
- 1 small garlic clove or ½ medium/large garlic clove
- 1/4 cup mint leaves packed
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil
- Fill a large bowl with a couple cups of ice and water to make an ice bath and set aside
- Place broccoli florets in boiling water and cook until bright green and tender. If you poke them the broccoli should be tender but not mushy (3-5 minutes). Scoop out the broccoli with a strainer and place into the ice bath immediately to cool
- Place the kale and spinach into boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Scoop out the greens with a strainer and place into the ice bath immediately to cool
- Once cooled, strain vegetables and place with all ingredients into a blender. Blend all until smooth and serve
Entertainer’s Note:
This is a beautiful dip to serve as an appetizer given the bright green color. It is great on veggies or toasts
