Za’atar Broccoli Pasta
Adding veggies into your pasta is one of my favorite ways to get even more of a nutrient dense dish at the end of a day. Growing up my childhood bestfriend’s father, Steve, would make us his incomparable “Broccoli Soup”… which was essentially just a very saucy broccoli pasta. Full of garlic, parmesean cheese, and leafy green florets of broccoli- this dish made me feel warm and comfort after every bite.
I was recently thinking of Steve and the classic Italian-American meals he always made. I always felt welcomed at the table and I thank him, and others in my life, for helping me experience other cultures, that had such a stark contrast from my own, through food.
This Za’atar Broccoli is like a melting pot- blending together Steve’s cheesy, garlicky broccoli pasts with the aromatic, spices, and citrus notes seen in many of Morocco’s dishes.
I hope you make this for your loved ones, especially the youngin’s who may be reluctant to be “forced” to eat yet ANOTHER leafy green dish. Enjoy!!
Za’atar Broccoli Pasta
Time: 30 to 35 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 head of broccoli (about 3 cups of broccoli florets), boiled in salted water
1/2 cup preserved broccoli boiling liquid
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons za’atar spice blend
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 preserved lemon, minced
juice of 1/2 lemon, if needed (optional)
fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
goat cheese, for garnish
lemon zest, for garnish
pinch of sumac, for garnish
8 to 12 ounces of pasta, cooked (I prefer fusilli)
DIRECTIONS
Begin by boiling the broccoli. If using a broccoli head, thoroughly rinse the broccoli and remove the florets from the stem. Add the broccoli (fresh or frozen) to salted, boiling water. Boil for about 4 to 5 minutes until fork tender. Drain the broccoli (and reserve about 1/2 cup of liquid). Set aside.
To a high-speed blender, add the broccoli, preserved broccoli liquid, olive oil, tahini, minced garlic, za’atar spice blend, nutritional yeast, and preserved lemon. Blend until smooth. If too thick, add 2 tablespoons of water a time until a hummus-like consistency comes to fruition.
Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning per your personal preference. If it lacks acidity, add the juice of 1/2 lemon. If it’s lacking salt, I suggest holding off until the very end as we will add reserved pasta cooking liquid later on.
Boil your pasta in heavily salted water until just under al-dente. Drain the pasta and reserve some of the pasta water. Add the sauce to the pasta with about 1/3 cup of reserved pasta liquid. Stir until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more salt if needed, lemon zest if it needs brightness or sumac for some tanginess.
Plate and garnish with goat cheese, lemon zest, fresh chopped parsley, and sumac.
Dive in!
