Inspired by the Italian soup, this fresh supper is full of spring flavour. The wholewheat farfalle adds nuttiness, but you can use traditional white pasta, if you prefer.
This verdant pasta is rammed full of veggies and then topped with a homemade pesto. We used farfalle pasta, but you can use any pasta you have in the cupboard!
Parmesan or vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, grated, plus extra to serve, optional
1
garlic clove, crushed
100g
basil (stalks and leaves), roughly chopped
Small handful mint leaves
3Tbsp.
pine nuts
Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
3Tbsp.
extra virgin olive oil
For the pasta
300g
wholewheat farfalle pasta, see intro
1Tbsp.
olive oil
2
spring onions, trimmed and chopped
1
courgette, trimmed and roughly chopped
75g
green beans, trimmed and cut into shorter lengths
75g
frozen peas
Directions
Step 1For the pesto, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Roughly chop the broccoli (including the stalk) and cook in the boiling water for 4min, or until just tender. Using a slotted spoon, lift broccoli into the bowl of a food processor (reserve water for pasta).
Step 2Add remaining pesto ingredients and plenty of seasoning to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped and combined, adding a little cold water to loosen, if needed. Set aside.
Step 3For the pasta, bring the broccoli cooking water back up to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to pack instructions. Drain, reserving 175ml of the cooking water.
Step 4Meanwhile heat the oil in a large, deep, frying pan over medium heat. Cook the spring onions, courgette and beans for 5min, stirring occasionally, or until starting to soften.
Step 5Add the pasta, peas, pesto and reserved cooking water to the frying pan and heat, stirring regularly, until piping hot. Check seasoning.
Step 6Divide between 4 bowls and garnish with extra cheese, if you like. Serve.
GET AHEAD
Make pesto up to a day ahead. Cover and chill. Complete recipe to serve.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
