Recipe: Lemony pasta with macadamias

Toasted macadamia nuts add flavour and texture to this tasty pasta dish. Photo / Fresh Media

Bow tie pasta is perfect for this vegetarian dish as its shape stands up well to the pieces of broccoli. Toasted macadamia nuts add a delicious crunch to the meal.

Lemony pasta with macadamias

Serves 4

Ingredients

350g Diamond bow tie pasta

2 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups small broccoli florets

1 400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled

80g FreshLife macadamia nuts

¼ tsp fresh black pepper, or more to taste

Freshly grated cheese

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. When the water boils, add the pasta, and cook according to the packet instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large nonstick fry pan and gently toast the macadamia nuts until golden and fragrant. Remove and set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil gently in the same pan and cook the garlic for 1-2 minutes.
4. Increase the heat to medium, add the broccoli and cook for about 5 minutes. If the pan seems too dry, add a couple of spoonfuls of the pasta water.
5. Stir in the cannellini beans, lemon zest and juice, ¼ cup pasta water, feta cheese, and toasted macadamia nuts. Stir gently to bring everything together, add the cooked and drained pasta and cook for 1-2 minutes to heat through. Add more pasta water little by little if the sauce is too dry. Season to taste with black pepper.
6. Top each serving with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

-fresh.co.nz