penne with roasted broccoli, pine nuts and balsamic butter
Ingredients
1 medium broccoli head cut in small spears
⅓ cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon brown sugar
1 pound penne (I prefer whole wheat)
¼ pound butter, cut into pieces
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
Heat the oven to 400°. Put the broccoli on a baking sheet and toss with oil and ¼ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Roast 8 minutes and then add pine nuts. Roast for an additional 2 to 3 minutes (until broccoli is tender and pine nuts smell extra nutty).
While broccoli is roasting, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer until 3 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.
Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just done, about 9 minutes for me. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid before draining the pasta. Toss with the butter, vinegar, broccoli, pine nuts, Parmesan, and the remaining 1¾ teaspoons salt (add a little cooking liquid if pasta seems dry). Serve with additional Parmesan.
Recipe by pretty plain janes at https://prettyplainjanes.com/2014/07/31/penne-with-roasted-broccoli-pine-nuts-and-balsamic-butter/