This creamy broccoli sauce is perfect for pasta, and so easy to make. Blitzed with walnuts and lemon juice, it is packed with goodness and delicious too!
🍴Why you will love this recipe
This delicious sauce tastes so creamy you won't believe it doesn't have a tub of double cream in it! In fact it is made from the simplest of ingredients - broccoli, lemon, walnuts and olive oil.
It is a sauce quickly whizzed up in a blender or food processor, so there's no faffing with flour or stirring until your arm aches!
The sauce has a lemony zing, and is perfect stirred through pasta, delicious poured over vegetables, or can be served as a creamy side to pretty much any main course you like.
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📝 What you need
Broccoli is the star of the show, and gives this sauce its delicious creamy texture. You wouldn't believe that a humble stalk of broccoli could create such creaminess, but it does!
Walnuts are delicious in this pesto-style sauce, and add to the velvety texture. Do leave the blender running for at least a minute or two until the sauce is smooth, or your sauce will have a nutty texture. If you like the walnuts in this sauce you might also enjoy my Cavolo Nero Pasta with Ligurian Walnut Sauce.
Lemon adds a fresh and citrussy zing which cuts through the rich sauce.
Olive oil Use a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil here, as you would in a pesto.
👩🏽🍳 How to make your Broccoli Sauce
For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page 👇🏼.
Cut the broccoli into florets and slice the stalk. Boil for 4-5 minutes until just soft.
Tip the broccoli into a blender or food processor and add the walnuts, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Blitz for a minute or two until completely smooth, then add water until the broccoli sauce has a thick pouring consistency. Season well. Reheat in the saucepan then serve.
🔪 Top Tips & FAQs
This broccoli sauce should be super-smooth, so do leave the blender running for a minute or two until the walnuts are smooth.
The consistency of your sauce is up to you, depending on how you will serve it. Add more water for a runnier sauce, of if you want to thicken it up again, just bubble for a minute or two in the saucepan.
Yes this sauce freezes really well. Freeze in individual portions then reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan. You may need to adjust the consistency when it defrosts, adding a little water. Don't forget to taste and adjust seasoning again too - sometimes flavours can change when frozen.
Stored in an airtight container the sauce will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. You may need to add a little water when reheating if it has become too thick.
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📖 Recipe
Broccoli Sauce with walnuts and lemon
Ingredients
For the pesto
- 1 broccoli
- 75 g walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil.
- Cut the broccoli into florets, and remove the woody end and skin from the stalk and slice it. Boil the broccoli and stalk for 4-5 minutes until just soft. Drain and tip into a blender or food processor.
- Add the walnuts, garlic, lemon and olive oil to the blender with the broccoli and blitz to a smooth paste.
- Season generously with salt and pepper, then add a little water, blitz again, and continue adding more water until it reaches a sauce-like consistency.
- Tip the sauce back into the saucepan, then heat through until piping hot. Serve with pasta, vegetables or any main course dish.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Video
Nutrition
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Annie says
I made this last night, using wholemeal penne. I added a few chilli flakes, because I love chilli with broccoli, and some nutritional yeast. The broccoli was just starting to turn yellow (I don't have a fridge), but of course there was no sign of this in the sauce. It tasted fantastic - I loved it. Trying to make the sauce nearly overwhelmed my little Magic Bullet - I might have been better to use a stick blender. I was amazed how creamy it came out. Personally, I think I would prefer a little more texture and next time I make it, I will use the stick blender and make it less smooth. But so easy - and such a useful thing to do with broccoli that should have been eaten a day sooner!
Kate Ford says
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Annie, and yes I'm sure it would be too much for a magic bullet so a stick blender is a good option. Perfect for starting-to-yellow broccoli! Thanks for the feedback, Kate x
kushigalu says
We love pasta but never tried something like this. Love the flavors here, Thanks for sharing.
Dannii says
What a great way to use walnuts. This broccoli sauce looks amazing.
Claudia Lamascolo says
These flavors are wonderful we would all love this and it's on the list to try this week
Saif says
I never thought you can make pesto sauce using broccoli and walnut. I can tell it taste delicious
Keri Bevan says
We made this broccoli sauce for dinner with pasta shells, and everyone loved it. The flavor combinations are so simple, but delcious!
Paul says
Anyone know how long this pesto would keep for??
thevegspace says
Hi Paul, this will keep for up to a week in the fridge, in a sealed container. Hope you enjoy it!
Lucy @ BakingQueen74 says
Your pesto sounds gorgeous, and I am so impressed by the Froothie blending paving stones! Thanks for the mention too. 🙂
thevegspace says
Thanks Lucy - yes a crazy video with the stones!!
Nadia's Healthy Kitchen says
I LOVE pesto, especially homemade! Use it so much in my cooking. I've never thought of using broccoli, definitely need to give it a try 😀 Thanks you for the mention 🙂
Emily says
I have a feeling I'd love this! Really like the idea of adding secret broccoli x
Choclette says
Ah there's no going back now Kate. I would be completely lost without my froothie blender - I'm drinking a smoothie from it now and it really is smooth.
Ceri says
Love the sound of this. I am a huge pesto fan and love how so many different herbs can be used. I used to get fed Pasto alla Genovese by my family that live in the region though we usually have with ligurian pesto. I do love your clever extra veg dea of using broccoli and walnuts instead. Love Oh to be in Italy right now…
Helen at Casa Costello says
Thanks so much for the mention - I love that your pesto is another that doesn't contain the dreaded parmesan. Looks wonderful. I've heard so many people talking about Froothie makers but never seen one in action - Looks a great piece of kit x