Brussels Sprouts. Please don’t groan. I know that they aren’t everyone’s favorite, but I may have found a way to get you eating your greens even if they don’t normally float your boat!
TA-DA! Brussels Sprouts Pesto Pasta!!!
I personally love Brussels Sprouts, but for those of you who don’t: What doesn’t taste better mixed with garlic, cheese and olive oil? Add pasta? What is there not to like?
I thought about kale pesto. But I just got off a juice cleanse (more about that later) and if I see anymore kale- even blended with garlic, cheese and olive oil – I might gag.
No, I would definitely gag.
So I am bringing back the B.S.
As in Brussels Sprouts. (not the other thing you were probably thinking) in a cameo for your healthy January enjoyment.
Mom- I hope you read this, because I know that you are fighting a continuous battle to find a way to like these little green monsters. Let me know if this helps!
Pasta with Brussels Sprouts Pesto, serves 4
1 lb spaghetti
2 cups Brussels Sprouts, halved
4 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup almonds, peeled and slivered
1 lemon
Kosher salt to taste (I used about 1 tsp)
3 Tbs finely grated Parmesan plus more for garnish
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Plunge the Brussels sprouts in and let them cook for about 2-3 minutes or until just tender.
Pull them out with a strainer and immediately rinse with cold water.
Keep the pot of water boiling and add the spaghetti. Cook the pasta to al dente according to manufacturers directions.
Meanwhile, add the garlic cloves, the Brussels sprouts and the olive oil to the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse until well combined. Add the almonds, the juice of the lemon and the some salt and puree until as smooth as you can get it and adjust the flavor according to taste.
Transfer to a bowl and add the Parmesan cheese. Fold the cheese into the pesto.
Drain the pasta and toss with the pesto. If you want, you can add a little drizzle of olive oil to the pasta.
Garnish with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve! (this tastes great hot or cold)
This is such a yummy sounding idea! Yum!
Thanks Katrina!
What a fantastic idea! Not only delicious but has to be healthy. Going to the store today to buy the brussel sprouts.
Oh good Nancy! Yes- definitely a new way to enjoy the little sprouts!
No groaning here! Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite veggies. I had never thought of using them for a pesto. Great idea!!
thanks Allison! I love a fellow Brussels Sprouts lover!
We looooove brussel sprouts at our house, eat them twice a week in the winter time. Try them with other veggies of the cabbage family in a veggie gratin! I use brussel sprouts, broccoli,cauliflower and cavolo romano- the romanesque broccoli…. Yum!!
ooooh, that sounds delicious Vittoria!
I never would have believed it possible to make pesto out of brussel sprouts!
This is so fabulous, Heather! I love creative forms of pesto and sauces. I’ve been hooked on avocado pasta sauce lately but I will fall in love with this, I know!
thank you so much Cassie!!
Okay, I am diggin’ this idea. While I’m not a fan of whole Brussels sprouts, I do like them when they’re shredded and can imagine I’d like them even more in pesto-form. Brilliant!
Love this idea! Plus, that mound of cheese on top of the pasta looks mouthwatering. Can’t wait to hear about the cleanse!
This is one of the best recipes for pesto I have ever seen. To use the sprouts is such a great idea & I love the way you styled that tempting bowl of pasta too!
thanks Marla! what a lovely compliment!
Yay for brussels sprouts! My husband and I love these little balls of healty deliciousness.
Brilliant!! This is a great recipe for those who don’t “think” they like Brussel Sprouts!
Thanks Nancy! There may be a little trickery involved, but it is worth it to become a Brussels Sprout appreciator!
I agree with Nancy that these are probably a great option for those who don’t normally love Brussels Sprouts. Thanks for sharing, Heather!
I was trying to think of something creative to do with Brussels Sprouts and thought of pesto so I checked the internet to see if anyone else had gone outside the box, the pesto box that is! Thanks for the tip about cooking the sprouts first, I didn’t think of that. Can’t wait to try it tonight.
I hope you love it!
Might I suggest cashews instead of almonds. I live in a neighborhood in Manhattan where the stale pine nuts available are still prohibitively expensive. I started using cashews and now prefer them in pesto for their buttery creaminess.
Great idea! I just used almonds cause they were in my cupboard- but I will definitely give them a try!
Now that is a healthy pesto – love brussels sprouts!
Thanks Jeanette!
I rushed home to make this tonight and it was SO YUMMY! Thank you!
Oh good Amy!! THanks!
This sounds like a yummy twist on a regular pesto. I think that I might roast the brussel sprouts to give them a bit more flavor and add some chili flakes-I can never have enough spice!
Thanks for the inspiration.
The Dinner Belle for Kimberlybelle.com
Oh yum…have to try this! Ever since rediscovering the sprouts I could eat them every day!
What a great idea…love this!
What a beautiful plate of pasta! Would never think to make pesto w brussels, looks delicious!
I used to hate them, then developed my own brussel sprout pesto…just this morning! I didn’t think anyone else had tried the same thing. Glad to hear I’m not the only one. I plan to toss it with some penne for dinner. Here’s mine: http://theluckyfox.blogspot.com/2012/02/brussel-sprout-pesto.html
Thanks for a great recipe! I had never tried brussel sprouts and had huge preconceptions towards them, but whoa, this dish was yummiest!!! I’m definately preparing this again (: thank you!
So happy to have converted someone into a Brussles lover!!
Fab way to cut the fat. I added a whole bunch of basil but used only a fraction of the amount of pine nuts I normally would and now have an extra serving of veg. Love it.
So glad Sarah! This is one of my favorite ways to pile on the veggies!
This recipe is banging! It’s fresh-tasting, but still earthy. I’ve never made nor tasted pesto before this, but the recipe just looked so interesting, I had to try it. I added some crispy diced pancetta, and you know that never hurt anything! Also, I used tofu shirataki noodles instead of real pasta. (Which was probably futile since I added that pancetta, but hey…!) So, thank you, classy lady, for a slammin’ recipe that I’ll definitely be making again. (Probably I’ll use real spaghetti if I serve it to anyone else, though!)
Oh my gosh Yolanda- thank you!!! The crispy pancetta sounds amazing!!
Just wanted to say thank you for the delicious recipe! I’ve been making this about every other week, adding in a bunch of basil (I’m obsessed with basil, so I had to throw it in), and using it over spaghetti squash. So delicious and wonderful!
That sounds awesome Tiffany! (and you are very welcome for the recipe!! so happy you like it)
I thought this was a really good pesto, but I couldn’t get enough volume to get a good, smooth pesto, even in my mini-food processor. I recommend doubling it & using the extra pesto for another entrée. (I am not of the opinion that you have to freeze pesto before adding the cheese, as some people are.)
Also, unless you really like garlic, I think you can dial back on the number of cloves allowing more of the flavor of the Brussels to shine through.
Heather, do you store the pesto with the cheese? Can you not use the cheese? Thanks !
Definitely can make it without the cheese! This is an older recipe and I now make it sans dairy!