Pasta with broccoli pesto and pancetta

Pasta with broccoli pesto and pancetta
  • Serves icon Serves 4-6
  • Time icon Hands-on time 25 minutes

Turn broccoli into pesto easily with this simple midweek pasta recipe from Gennaro Contaldo. Leave out the pancetta and use a vegetarian cheese to make this veggie.

Ingredients

  • 80g pancetta, finely chopped plus 6 slices, left whole
  • 400g broccoli florets
  • 60g Bertolli with Butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Pinch of salt
  • 400g small pasta cones
  • Grated parmesan, to serve

Method

  1. Cook the pancetta slices on a frying pan on a medium heat until crispy, drain and set aside.
  2. Cook the broccoli florets in boiling water until tender, about 3 minutes. Reserve some of the water, drain and set aside. Melt Bertolli with Butter (or a mixture of butter and olive oil) in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Sweat the chopped pancetta for a minute, add the garlic and sweat for a further minute. Add the broccoli with a couple of ladles of the cooking water and cook for a couple of minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Remove from the heat and blend to a smooth consistency adding a little salt to taste.
  3. In the meantime, cook the pasta in boiling, slightly salted, water until al dente.
  4. Return the blended broccoli sauce to the frying pan, drain the pasta and over a low heat toss well together with a little cooking water and a knob of Bertolli with Butter to add shine. Serve immediately topped with crispy pancetta and grated parmesan.

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