Spring Vegetable Pasta with Basil Cashew Pesto
- Active Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 25 min
- Servings: 2
This dairy-free basil pesto swaps the parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast and uses raw cashews instead of traditional pine nuts. I’m not exaggerating when I say this is truly the best pesto I’ve ever had.
It gets tossed with whole wheat penne, lightly sautéed asparagus and zucchini, and wilted spinach to create a stunningly vibrant green pasta dish. Coming together in just 25 minutes, it's the perfect dish for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
-
Pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 garlic scapes or 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ tsp salt
-
Pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 small zucchini
- 12 stalks of asparagus
- 4 oz whole wheat penne
- 2 tbsp chopped cashews, for garnish
Preparation
Make Pesto
Combine basil, cashews, 2 tbsp olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a blender and puree until smooth. If it’s too thick to blend thoroughly add a splash of water. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Cook Pasta
Boil pasta according to package directions, making sure not to drain your pasta water as it will be used later on.
Chop & Add Vegetables
In the meantime, chop asparagus into inch long pieces and slice zucchini into half moon shapes. Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add asparagus, sautéing until it’s almost tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for another 2-3 minutes until slightly tender. Add the spinach and sauté just until wilted. Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside.
Combine & Serve
Next add the pesto to the pan. You might not need all of it depending on how saucy you like your pasta. Add pasta water a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. Once the sauce is heated through add the penne noodles and vegetables, tossing to coat. Remove from heat and divide between two bowls. Garnish with chopped cashews and enjoy!
Tips
If you’d like to add a protein source to this dish, you can marinate tofu or chicken in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning. Bake or pan-fry until golden brown.
