Pasta and White Beans with Broccoli Pesto
This simple pasta dish uses cannellini beans, which are a high-fiber, low-calorie way to add protein. Use broccoli for a pesto sauce instead of basil.
Everyday Food, January/February 2012
115 Ratings
- 5 star values: 19
- 4 star values: 22
- 3 star values: 47
- 2 star values: 18
- 1 star values: 9
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 4 stars
01/07/2017 I agree with kdrex, replace parmesan with Feta for a creamier sauce. Use lots of parsley. But I actually reduced the garlic. This recipe is the alternative to tomato sauce for pasta, that I've been looking for up until now. Very tasty.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
03/08/2015 The parsley is really important, and you will need a lot. I left it out the first time I made it, and it did not turn out well. I added some chopped walnuts and increased the garlic to 2 cloves. I replaced the parmesan with feta, which gave it a nice tang and made it a little creamy. Also, I put in some dried taragon as it pairs well with broccoli. I don't have a food processor, so I used my immersion blender. I forgot to reserve any pasta water, but I didn't really feel like it needed it.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
02/04/2014 you left off the beans. Are these cannelini or another kind?
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Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 5 stars
02/04/2014 This is an absolutely delicious pesto as well as light and healthy. I have made it several times, always to rave reviews. The addition of the lemon zest and juice is what really brightens and balances the entire dish. The flavors are bold enough to stand up to whole grain pasta which increases the nutritional value even further. Do be certain before pureeing that the broccoli is soft enough to blend smoothly and as always keep a bit of the pasta water to thin the sauce if necessary.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
07/24/2013 We don't eat dairy/cheese and I didn't have parsley, so we substituted seeds/nuts for the cheese and basil for the parsley. I used lima beans for the white beans, and flavor came from that stock (I left out the oil), but my daughter loved the recipe. It's fresh and healthy. If you are expecting regular pesto, you might be disappointed, but we would make it again...in fact, I'm going to right now.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 1 stars
12/19/2012 This might be the worst recipe I've ever made. No joke. My husband has eaten every meal I've ever made, even the bad ones, but he would not eat this. I had to throw it away. Great idea in theory, but so bad. Texture was gross, it had no flavor...I don't need to go on and on. Just skip it.
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Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 1 stars
12/19/2012 This might be the worst recipe I've ever made. No joke. My husband has eaten every meal I've ever made, even the bad ones, but he would not eat this. I had to throw it away. Great idea in theory, but so bad. Texture was gross, it had no flavor...I don't need to go on and on. Just skip it.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
01/17/2012 I fixed the recipe! I used my Beaba Baby Cook food processor for a finer texture. Be sure to reserve at least 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water to use to thin out the sauce when you puree it (add it slowly) I also added 1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts which I toasted in 1 tbls of olive oil on the stove until they turned golden brown. Then I added that to the mix and pureed the whole thing. I finished off the dish by squeezing the other half of unused lemon which I think added more bite.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
01/10/2012 This was terrible. The taste of the pesto was not good. The texture was off and I'm so sorry that I wasted the ingredients.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 3 stars
01/08/2012 This recipe is different. It needs more spice, but not sure what. It's very light and my daughter who doesn't eat broccoli really liked it. For that reason, I will probably make it again because it is a healthy dish. I did not add the beans and instead added pine nuts which gave the dish a nice bite.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
01/05/2012 This was terrible! The texture killed the dish and the white beans just didn't mesh with the other flavors. i love Everyday Food but this was a let down.