This warming dish is vibrant, healthy and quick to throw together. It takes just a few ingredients, and the chances are you will already have them in the fridge. A really easy mid-week supper that has a nice kick to it from the addition of fresh chilli. Broccoli and chilli work perfectly together with a hint of garlic all tied together with some Parmesan cheese. Any leftovers can be kept for a healthy lunchbox treat the next day too. Try swapping pasta for quinoa for extra protein, rice works well with this dish too.
Ingredients
- 100g broccoli, cut into florets
- 150g penne pasta
- 50g unsalted cashew nuts
- 1 clove garlic, finely sliced
- ½ fresh red chilli, finely sliced
- 15g unsalted butter
- Dash olive oil
- Handful Parmesan, grated
- Salt and pepper
Method
Bring a pan of water to a rolling boil and season with salt.
Add the pasta and cook for 7 minutes. At this point, add the broccoli and boil for a further 5 minutes.
Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.
Heat a frying pan on a medium heat, drizzle in some olive oil and cook the cashew nuts until golden brown.
Add the butter to the pan and the chilli and cook for a minute.
Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Throw the pasta and broccoli in and a tablespoon of cooking water and toss well. Add the parmesan cheese and season to taste.
Top tip for making Broccoli, cashew nut and chilli pasta
Make sure you keep an eye on the cashew nuts when they are cooking as they can burn easily.
