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I’ve been immersed in the foodie world since my college days. Over the past decade or so, there are a few people who have truly influenced my approach to cooking and sharing recipes. One of them is Jenny Rosenstrach. As a lifelong vegetarian myself, Jenny was one of the first recipe creators to share recipes that I could recreate in my own kitchen. Simply put, her recipes have always stood out for how creative and accessible they are.
Jenny is Dinner: A Love Storyis an award-winning website and Substack newsletter dedicated to family dinners. She is also the author of six New York Times bestselling books, including Dinner: A Love Story and Weekday VegetarianEvery recipe I made was like a eureka moment, and Jenny’s writing is witty and relatable (exactly the voice I need to accompany me through my many kitchen struggles), so it’s no surprise that many of her recipes quickly became part of my go-to recipes.
Jenny Rosenstrach on how to create weeknight dinners that everyone will love
In her latest work, Weekday vegetarians keep it simpleJenny shares more amazing vegetarian recipes that prove that meat-free meals can be easy and delicious: Get an exclusive look at Jenny’s Broccoli Pesto Pasta recipe, everyone’s favourite weeknight dinner with Jenny’s own innovative twist.
How would you describe your cooking and food philosophy?
I’ve been writing Dinner: A Love Story for almost 15 years, and the mission has remained consistent from toddlers to high school to college to post-parenting: to make dinner (it doesn’t have to be fancy) and share it with the people I love whenever possible, so my recipes are simple and real, created in a home kitchen, not a test kitchen.
What was the process for developing this recipe?
Learning that you don’t need basil and pine nuts to make pesto was a big day in my culinary life. In fact, you can make pesto with almost any vegetable or nut, as long as you have good olive oil and Parmesan cheese. I don’t remember exactly how I made the pesto, but I think I probably had some leftover broccoli that wasn’t very fresh. To salvage it, I did what I always do: puree it to make a luxurious creamy sauce for pasta. This has never been the wrong answer.
What makes this recipe a great weeknight choice?
I love that the entire recipe requires just one pot (plus a blender) and the pasta can be boiled in the same water as the broccoli, making it a pain to do a big weeknight cleanup.
Can this recipe be made with minimal equipment?
Sure, it’s easier to stick a hand blender into a pot of soft-cooked veggies when you want a somewhat creamy texture (and you should if a larger blender just doesn’t have enough juice), but pureeing veggies in a powerful blender almost always results in a smoother, thicker texture. Overall, a quality blender like a Cuisinart or Vitamix is an investment that will pay off big time.
What ingredient substitutions should I know about in this recipe?
To make it vegan: You can also omit the Parmesan and add 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast when blending.
To make it gluten free: Replace pasta with gluten-free pasta.Taste Republic is my favorite brand. And if you don’t have broccoli, you can substitute cauliflower, butternut squash, or canned artichokes. Once you’ve mastered the technique, you’ll want to turn all your veggies into sauces.
What advice would you give to someone looking to add more vegetarian recipes to their repertoire?
We’re wired to think of animal protein as a starting point for dinner — for example, we eat chicken, so we might have chicken parmesan — and I always tell people who want to get more plant protein in, to think about what to start with instead. Kindness Think about the food you want to eat. Tacos? Pizza? Soup? A big salad? Once you start switching your brain to think this way, it’ll be a lot easier to decide between Crispy Cauliflower Tacos, Corn and Tomato Pizza, Coconut Corn Soup with Tofu, or Honey Harissa Chickpea and Yogurt Bibb Salad. All of these are great options. Weekday Vegetarian: Keep it Simple.
What’s the best thing about creating recipes that people can take into their homes and share?
The funny thing is, I care about good food and I never tire of hearing recipe success stories from my readers. But what I care about most is educating people about how rewarding it can be to just sit down to dinner. I cooked thousands of dinners for my daughters before they went off to college (that’s 18 years of dinners). But when I think back on all those meals, I don’t necessarily think about how I perfectly charred my grilled salmon or how I finally mastered how to make delicious tofu. I think first and foremost of all of the nights we sat down together. And even today, dinner is like a gift I get to give myself every day. Whether it’s a family of four around the table or just me and my Instagram feed.
Dinner is like a gift you can give yourself every day.
Do you have a favourite recipe from this book?
- Summer Sicilian Eggplant Parmigiana is a fresh, non-greasy take on a favorite of ours.
- Mixed Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie is perfect for Thanksgiving or any Tuesday night.
- Tomato Tart with Tomatoes and Blue Cheese: This dish couldn’t be a better example of how little effort can produce big results.
- Miso mushroom tacos with pickled cabbage were my daughter’s go-to dinner before late-night soccer practice throughout her high school years.
- Crispy curried cauliflower with coconut and raisins goes great with a simple soup (such as tomato soup).
- Brown Butter Orzo with Zucchini and Basil.
There’s so much more! This is just a small sample.
“Weekday Vegetarian Made Simple” Copyright © 2024 Jenny Rosenstrach. Photos Copyright © 2024 Christine Han. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group.
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explanation
This pasta dish is a lesson in creating incredibly delicious vegetarian flavours, and it’s so easy you’ll want to toss in all sorts of veggies and use them as a sauce.
- Kosher salt
- 5 cup Broccoli, roughly chopped (1 large head) including the stem
- 1/2 cup A little extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Crushed garlic
- 3 Roughly chop scallions (white and light green parts only)
- 1/3 cup Pine nuts
- 1/3 cup Freshly grated
- Parmesan cheese, extra for garnishing
- 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- 1 lb Pasta (I like spaghetti or fettuccine, but any pasta will do)
- Red pepper flakes (for garnishing)
- Bring a large pot of salted water (at least 10 cups) to a boil. Add the broccoli and simmer for 3 minutes on low heat. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out about a third of the broccoli and place on cut side. Allow to cool and then finely chop. Continue boiling the remaining broccoli for 1 minute over low heat. Turn off the heat and scoop out 1/4 cup of the water from the broccoli and use a slotted spoon to scoop out the remaining water. Add the broccoli directly to the blender (excess liquid is ok).
- Add olive oil, garlic, green onion, pine nuts, Parmesan, lemon juice, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mixture to a blender. Add the remaining broccoli juice, salt, and pepper and mix until emulsified into a sauce. Add more broccoli water if necessary until it is easily pourable (thinner than a milkshake).
- Return the pot with the broccoli to a boil, add the pasta and cook al dente according to the instructions in the package. Follow package directions, and if you’ve used up all the liquid from the broccoli, scoop out another 1/4 cup of pasta. Leave to sit in the water. Drain the pasta and add a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Add the pesto sauce to the pot and mix with the pasta, but not until it becomes mushy (drizzle in some of the pasta water). Serve garnished with red pepper flakes, the reserved chopped broccoli, and more Parmesan, if desired.
- Preparing Time: 10 min
- Cooking time: 20 min
keyword: Pasta, broccoli and pesto
Source: Camille Styles – camillestyles.com
