Penne with Broccoli Pesto and Corn
 
 
by:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • Salt
  • 4 cups broccoli florets
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for grating
  • ½ cup walnuts
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup packed basil leaves
  • Ground black pepper
  • ½ pound bite-size pasta, such as penne
  • 2 ears corn, kernels removed (about 1 cup)
Instructions
  1. Bring 1 tablespoon of salt and 3 quarts of water to boil in a large soup kettle. Add broccoli and cook until just tender and still bright green, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a food processor. Add the Parmesan, nuts, oil, basil, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper and process to pesto texture; set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, add penne to the boiling water and using back-of-the-box times as a guide, cook partially covered, and at first stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until just tender, adding corn the last few minutes of cooking. Reserving 1 cup of pasta water, drain penne and return it to the pot.
  3. Add pesto to the penne and toss, adding enough cooking liquid to make moist, saucy pasta. Taste and adjust seasonings. Transfer to each of 4 plates and serve, sprinkling with additional Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Add other vegetables to this pasta, if you like. As you can see, I added a couple of Carmen peppers from my CSA box, which I sliced and sautéed in a little olive oil. If you don’t want to pull out another skillet, stick with firm veggies like carrots and asparagus or any greens, which can be added to the pasta cooking liquid, along with the corn.
Recipe by Three Many Cooks at https://threemanycooks.com/recipes/meaty-mains/penne-with-broccoli-pesto-and-corn/