Ingredients
- 350 g wholewheat, spelt or legume pasta (such as red lentil or chickpea pasta)
- 150 g tenderstem broccoli or asparagus, cut into short lengths (optional)
For the wild garlic pesto
- 100 g wild garlic leaves, washed and dried
- 50 g walnuts or pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 30 g Parmesan, grated, or 2 tbsp nutritional yeast for a plant-based version
- Zest and juice of ½ lemon
- 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Make the pesto: blitz the wild garlic, nuts, cheese or nutritional yeast and lemon zest in a food processor until finely chopped. With the motor running, pour in the olive oil to make a loose paste. Add the lemon juice and season.
- Cook the pasta: cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water until just tender, adding the broccoli for the last 3 minutes. Keep back a mug of the cooking water, then drain.
- Combine: return the pasta to the pan and stir in 4–5 tbsp of pesto, loosening it with a splash of the cooking water until glossy.
- Serve: serve with extra lemon and a few toasted nuts on top.
Why it's good for you: Wild garlic contains many of the same sulphur compounds as garlic, which are studied for their benefits to the heart and immune system. Walnuts add omega-3 fats. Eating pesto raw keeps its compounds at their most powerful, so stir it in off the heat.
Good to know: Only pick wild garlic if you are completely sure of what it is, as it can be confused with poisonous plants such as lily of the valley and lords-and-ladies. Use gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free version. The pesto keeps for a week in the fridge under a layer of oil, or freeze it in ice cube trays.
Food is one part of the whole picture
Read the thinking behind these recipes, or get a plan made just for you.