Vegan Broccoli Pesto Pasta

5 from 3 votes

This vegan broccoli pesto pasta is a tasty comfort food dinner, packed with flavour and lots of greens! It's a vegan and low histamine recipe, and can easily be made gluten-free using suitable pasta.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine: American, British, Italian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 426kcal

Author: Claire

Equipment

Blender
Two pots
Skillet

Ingredients

4 oz pasta more to preference

For the broccoli pesto

2 cups broccoli diced
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup fresh basil leaves tightly packed
1 garlic clove
pinch salt
pinch black pepper optional

To garnish (optional)

pinch sesame seeds optional, for garnish
basil leaves

Instructions

Dice the broccoli into small florets.
Steam or boil your broccoli so that it is fork tender.
In a small pan, dry toast your pumpkin seeds for 3-4 minutes until they have very light browning, and they may begin to pop.
While the broccoli is cooking, prepare your pasta according to packet instructions, adding a good pinch of salt to the water. Usually 10-12 minutes to al dente texture. Reserve half a cup of the pasta water for the pesto.
Add the broccoli, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, basil, pumpkin seeds, garlic, salt and pepper (if using) to a blender. Pulse blend to make a pesto, adding a spoonful of the pasta water bit by bit to get the texture you like.
Once the pasta is cooked, pour the pesto into your saucepan and stir well so the pasta is fully coated. You may have extra pesto to use for another dish if you prefer a less 'saucy' pasta.
Plate up your broccoli pesto pasta and sprinkle with sesame seeds, and more fresh herbs. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

Be sure to reserve some of the pasta water as this is used to loosen the sauce.
Adjust the amount of garlic to preference.
You can always play around with herbs for the pesto - if you're not a fan of parsley, how about coriander / cilantro?
Please note that nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.

Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) food compatibility list for histamine

All ingredients in this broccoli pesto pasta score 0 on the SIGHI list, with the exception of:

pasta - wheat score 1 on the SIGHI list and has a ? as a liberator. You may like to try quinoa, corn or brown rice pasta as an alternative.
garlic and apple cider vinegar, which score 1.
black pepper, which scores 2.

Nutrition