Broccoli Pesto Pasta

I believe in eating seasonal vegetables. It's Winter and we must devour the winter vegetables and fruits before they vanish for our own benefits. Broccoli is one such vegetable that we get only in winter and it is considered as one of the "super foods" available. The huge health benefits it carries is no longer unknown to all. Broccoli belongs to a family of vegetables called cruciferous vegetables and its close relatives include brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage. 

Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C, chromium and folate. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin E, manganese, phosphorus, choline, vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), potassium, Iron and copper. It is also low in calories. Its components are highly beneficial for Cancel Prevention, Cholesterol Reduction, Reducing Allergic reaction and inflammation, Detoxifying and Alkanizing your body, Bone Health, Heart health. It's a Powerful anti-oxidant and Smart Carb.
  While comes to cooking broccoli, it's better to steam them rather than boiling. Steaming can retain the nutritional value more than boiling and can also keep the shape and tastes better. I cook broccoli in various way possible, but I have never tried to make pesto and use in Pastas before. Though Broccoli taste quite good, but most of the kids find them gooey and hate it completely. My kids are one of them and so I have made this time pasta with broccoli this way and they even didn't recognized it at first and to my surprise they loved it. I was a happy mother. Now I know how to feed them broccoli. I found the recipe on BBC Good Food and immediately decided to try it. I tweaked the recipe a bit to our liking and I'll share my version here. Try this recipe for your kids and they'll love it I guarantee. And this way, we're getting the whole nutrients in our dish. 

You Need :
Pasta of your choice
Broccoli : 1 medium head
Carrot : thick long slices
Garlic : 2-3 fat cloves, grated
Milk : 1/2 cup
Mozzarella/parmesan : 2/3 cup, shredded
Salt and black pepper to taste
Oil(Vegetable or olive oil) : 1 tblsp.
Dried Chilli flakes : 1 tsp. (optional)

How To : 

• Cook the pasta in a big bowl of boiling water till al-dante. I dropped few carrot slices in there and cooked along. When done, strain and keep aside. 
• In a microwave safe bowl or in a steamer, steam or cook the broccoli till they are cooked. Broccolis should be little soft as we are going to mash them for pesto. Drain and keep aside.
• In a pan, heat oil, add grated garlic cloves, saute for a minute. Then add broccoli pieces, mash them completely with the back of your ladle. Now add cooked pasta along with carrot slices. Add seasonal fresh peas if you like. I did. Season with salt, black pepper and chilli flakes. Mix well and keep sauteing for a couple of minutes.
• Now add milk and shredded cheese. In a medium flame, mix everything well till cheese melts and nicely coasted pasta. By now, your pasta will be nicely coated with mashed broccoli and cheese. Season as per your liking and remove from heat.
• Serve immediately from the pan. You can also add other vegetables if you want.