7096
THE DAIRY KITCHEN

Orechiette Pasta with Creamy Basil and Broccoli Sauce

By THE DAIRY KITCHEN

Serves 4
Difficulty Easy
Preparation 10 MINS
Cooking 20 MINS
A quick and healthy pasta dish that whole family will enjoy.

Ingredients

200g broccoli, cut into florets
1 small (125g) zucchini, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup basil leaves
150g reduced fat cream cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
250g orechiette or shell pasta
2 cups frozen peas

For Serving

2 tablespoons shaved parmesan
Handy Tips
Orechiette means "little ears" in Italian, the pasta's curved shape is perfect to hold this sauce, but it can be substituted with pasta shells. For something different try adding a couple of anchovies to the broccoli sauce when pureeing and try sprinkling with a few toasted slivered almonds before serving.

Nutrition (per serve)

Energy (kj) 1644
Sugars (g) 3.4
Protein (g) 20.7
Dietry Fibre (g) 9.9
Fat Total (g) 10
Sodium (mg) 252
Saturated (g) 5.7
Calcium (mg) 188
Carbohydrates (g) 49.7
Iron (mg) 2.7
All nutrition values are per serving.

Method

  1. Cook broccoli, zucchini and garlic in a large saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes or until the broccoli is just tender and bright green. Using a slotted spoon, scoop vegetables and garlic into a food processor with 1/2 cup cooking water, basil, cream cheese, parmesan and pepper. Blend until a smooth sauce is formed.
  2. Cook pasta in the same pot of boiling water, until al dente, drain.
  3. Pour broccoli mixture into a saucepan, stir in peas and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes until peas are just cooked, then toss in pasta. Serve immediately topped with a grinding of black pepper and shaved parmesan.

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