If you’re among the 1 million people who follow Max La Manna on Instagram, you already know how delectable his dazzling recipes are. But whether you’re a longtime fan or you’re hearing about him for the first time now, we can guarantee that you’ll love the magnificent meals in his book You Can Cook This!
The book is packed with 135 recipes that are super simple and plant-based, and La Manna is superbly skilled in optimizing flavor without contributing to food waste (or blowing out your grocery budget). And we know one person who will definitely be using this tome in the kitchen: our very own Katie Couric!
Katie invited La Manna over to whip up his delectable recipe for stem and herbs pesto pasta, and they had an absolute blast — during both the cooking process and the eating afterward. Check out all the fun in the video below, and then read on for the instructions about how to make it yourself.
Max La Manna’s recipe for stem and herbs pesto pasta
Ingredients
1–2 broccoli stems, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
7oz/200g mafalde, fusilli, or pasta of your choice
2–3 large handfuls of mixed greens and soft herbs from the fridge (reserve some herbs for garnish)
1oz/30g toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds, plus extra to serve
3 tbsp nutritional yeast (or 1 tbsp grated Parmesan, plus more to serve, if you’re not plant-based)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp vegan/plant-based butter
Directions
First, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
Once the water has come to a boil, add your broccoli stalks and cook for two to three minutes until soft. Transfer the stems to a high-speed blender, along with garlic, an assortment of herbs and leafy greens, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Blend until smooth. If the mixture is thick, add a splash of the pasta cooking liquid.
Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 50ml/2fl oz of the pasta cooking water.
Return the drained pasta to its pan over low heat and gently stir in the butter. Add the pesto and lemon zest and stir to coat the pasta. Serve topped with more toasted seeds, Parmesan, and herbs.
