Broccoli pesto, fresh, crunchy walnuts, basil leaves, and your favourite cheese. Pesto is as classic Italian as it gets. But like always, I like me a few cool variations. I have obviously tried the common spinach and basil one and I have also experimented with the inclusion of cashew nuts. Toss it with pasta, short or long, smear it on toast with eggs or go all out and make a pesto based pizza.

Check out Classic pesto and Pesto with cashew nuts.
Interested in more classic Italian sauces? You will love these –
30-minute Marinara sauce
Spicy roasted basil-tomato sauce
Easy tomato-basil sauce

You can also check out this easy pasta and sauce pairing guide which I swear by!

Ingredients for Broccoli Pesto (4-5 servings)

Broccoli head – 1 (250-300g)
Basil leaves – 15-20
Walnuts – 1/3 cup, roughly chopped
Olive oil – 4 tbsp
Garlic cloves – 2, small
Salt – to taste
Cheese – 3 tbsp, grated (I used Cheddar, you can use Parmesan, or even regular Amul processed cheese, I have tried it with spinach pesto and it blends pretty well.

Method

Remove the florets from the stalk of the broccoli.
Wash them thoroughly and drain. Chop them roughly so that blending them is easier.
Microwave on high for 2 minutes to cook them slightly. Cool them down slightly.
In a blender add the broccoli, basil leaves, walnuts, garlic and olive oil and pulse.
Add the cheese and season with salt to taste and pulse again to get the desired texture.
Transfer to an air-tight jar and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.

You can also use it immediately and whip up some pasta! I did a fusilli with mushrooms.
If using as a flatbread or pizza sauce, I suggest going for a classic Margherita since the sauce has a very distinct flavour of its own.