Now that Christmas has passed, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be spending the next few days tucking into leftovers from the big day and making increasingly ridiculous sandwiches to nibble through.
However, one thing I’ve never been able to get on board with is sprouts in a sandwich. As much as I am a huge proponent of Silly Christmas Sarnies, even I have to draw a line somewhere.
Imagine my absolute glee when I found Myriad Recipes on TikTok and their inventive approach to leftover sprouts in the form of… pesto!
@myriadrecipesLeftover Brussels Sprout Pesto 🌱 | 7 Days of Brussels Sprout Recipes 🍋 This is definitely one of the riskier recipes in this 7 day series. I personally love it, but it might not be everyone’s cup of tea 🤌🏽 For the other episodes in this series, you really don’t have to like sprouts to enjoy the dishes, however, for this one I think you actually have to like them 🧄 The reason I say this is because the flavour of the humble sprout plays a lead role in this dish ✨So, give it a go and let me know what you think…yay or nay? 🌿 Ingredients: (2 portions) For the pesto 🥬10 leftover Brussels sprouts 🌱2 tbsp (small handful) of basil leaves 🥜2 tbsp pine nuts 🧄 1 garlic clove, minced 🧀 2 tbsp grated parmesan 🫒 3 tbsp olive oil 🧂 1/2 tsp pepper 🍬 1 tsp sugar 🍋 1/2 lemon, juiced Other 🫒 1 tbsp olive oil 🍅 10 cherry tomatoes 🍝 150g pasta (I used spaghetti) Method: 1. Cook your pasta in salted boiling water according to package instructions. 2. Meanwhile, add the pesto ingredients to a medium-sized bowl. Use a hand blender to blend the ingredients into a fine paste. You could also use a food processor! Add more olive oil if the pesto is too dry. 3. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil into a frying pan and add in your cherry tomatoes, fry for 5 minutes. Add in your pesto with a ladle of pasta water and stir thoroughly. 4. Drain your pasta, then add to the pan and mix well. 5. Serve up with some extra basil leaves for garnish and enjoy! ppestollesswastep#pastarecipe#easyrecipe ♬ As It Was – PREP
In the video, content creator and foodie Em gives us the simple recipe for leftover sprouts pesto.
You’ll need:
- 10 leftover Brussel sprouts
- 2 tbsp or a small handful of basil leaves
- 2 tbsp of pine nuts
- One garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp of grated parmesan
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 tsp of pepper
- 1 tsp of sugar
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Once you have all of the above ingredients, simply blend them together in a blender or using a handheld immersion blender and you’ll have a delicious, bright pesto!
Em does warn that you do have to actually like sprouts for this one as the flavour of the sprout “plays a lead role in this dish” but if you’re worried about the flavour overpowering the dish, you can add more pepper, parmesan or garlic as you go until it tastes better for you.
Em recommends serving this with 150g of pasta and cooked cherry tomatoes, served with a garnish of more fresh basil leaves.
If you just eat it directly from the bowl though, we won’t judge you.