This Easy 20-Minute Dinner Gets My Son to Eat Broccoli

And the whole family loves it.

By
Jeanine Donofrio
Jeanine Donofrio
Jeanine Donofrio
Jeanine Donofrio is a recipe developer, author of two bestselling cookbooks, The Love & Lemons Cookbook and Love & Lemons Every Day, and the creator of Love and Lemons, her food blog. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, People, Oprah, Bon Appétit, Simply Recipes, and more.
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Updated August 21, 2025
Jeanine Donofrio
A bowl of pasta coated with broccoli pesto garnished with grated cheese with wooden utensils placed on top

Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hausser

I’ve always loved experimenting with different pesto variations. I have this broccoli pesto recipe on my blog, plus a kale pesto, arugula pesto, and a classic basil pesto with tons of suggested swaps. I typically change up the herbs/greens in pesto, but in this case, I actually substitute broccoli for the pine nuts.

My niece also has a nut allergy, so it’s become a fun dinner to make when the whole family gets together. It makes a really vibrant, fresh pesto that’s conveniently nut-free.

My favorite memories of eating this dish are with my son, Ollie. It’s the best way I’ve found to get him to eat broccoli (or anything green, really). He finishes the whole bowl and always asks for seconds!

A bowl of pasta with broccoli pesto topped with grated cheese and placed on a countertop with utensils

Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hausser

Make It Your Own

  • You can make this pesto vegan/dairy-free by making it with nutritional yeast instead of parmesan. Nutritional yeast has a great savory, cheesy flavor that makes it a great parmesan substitute.
  • You can also use almost any soft, leafy herb here. Basil and parsley are my favorites, but some tarragon or mint would be really lovely, too. Arugula would be a good sub as well. Keep in mind that all these herbs will add different flavor profiles. Basil gives it the most traditional “pesto” taste, arugula is more peppery, mint is cooler, etc.

This recipe is so quick and easy to make! It comes together in under 20 minutes. And if you don’t have time to prep a side dish or don’t feel like making one, it packs plenty of veggies into one dish.

A bowl of pasta with pesto sauce and a wooden spoon served in a blue dish placed on a table

Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hausser

Broccoli Pesto Pasta

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Servings 2 to 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 heaping cup very small broccoli florets (about 2.4 ounces)

  • 1/2 cup fresh basil or parsley leaves

  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving, or 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 8 ounces spaghetti or bucatini pasta

Method

  1. Blanch the broccoli:

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and place a bowl of ice water nearby.

    Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water for 30 seconds, then use a slotted spoon to scoop it into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and pat dry, reserving the water in the pot for cooking the pasta.

  2. Cook the pasta:

    Bring the large pot of salted water back to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions, cooking until al dente.

    Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water, and drain the pasta.

  3. Meanwhile, make the pesto:

    While the pasta cooks, place the broccoli in a food processor with the basil or parsley, olive oil, parmesan or nutritional yeast, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Pulse until combined.

  4. Assemble and serve:

    In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the pesto. Add 1 tablespoon of reserved pasta water at a time, if desired, to loosen the sauce (up to 1/4 cup).

    Season to taste, top with more parmesan, and serve.

    Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
282 Calories
20g Fat
21g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 282
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 26%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 5mg 2%
Sodium 285mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 21g 8%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 25mg 125%
Calcium 81mg 6%
Iron 2mg 8%
Potassium 171mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.