Green Pesto Pasta Salad
SERVES: 6 • TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES
Ingredients:
500g fusilli
A couple of slices of day-old sourdough loaf
75g pine nuts
75g fresh or frozen peas
150g pitted green olives
For the Broccoli Pesto:
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup basil leaves
2/3 cup olive oil
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
4 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook pasta according to packet directions. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 150ºC. Tear bread into pieces and add to a food processor. Blitz for a few seconds to create coarse breadcrumbs. Transfer breadcrumbs to a lined baking tray and cook for 7 minutes or until they are lightly browned and feel dry. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Add pine nuts to a dry frying pan over medium-low heat. Toast, shaking the pan every couple of seconds to stop the nuts from burning. When nuts are slightly browned, remove pan from the heat and transfer nuts to a bowl to cool.
Bring a medium sized saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Add broccoli to the water and cook for 30 seconds and then remove broccoli using a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process.
Add peas to the water and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat and strain. Set peas aside.
Place broccoli in food processor with remaining pesto ingredients and blitz until combined.
Add pasta to a large bowl with pesto and toss to coat pasta. Add olives, rocket and peas and toss to combine. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Sprinkle pasta with pine nuts and breadcrumbs just before serving.