This easy vegan pasta al pesto recipe features zesty, oil-free, vegan pesto and blanched tomatoes. It's a delicious 30-minute meal perfect for a weeknight. You can even make the pesto a day ahead!
Green pesto is a quick and easy favorite. It combines fresh basil and spinach with simple ingredients, including plenty of garlic and lemon juice. I usually make whole wheat spaghetti al pesto, but this recipe is great with any pasta shape.
Like my sun-dried tomato pesto, you can make it a day ahead or make a double batch and freeze it, making a meal as quick as cooking pasta. For variation, you can serve it with rice, pearl couscous, or quinoa (you might also like my green cilantro tahini sauce).
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You need 7 simple ingredients to make homemade pesto sauce. Plus, it's fresher and tastes better than store-bought.
- Dairy-free, made with healthy plant-based ingredients and no added oil. Although this recipe uses ¼ cup of pine nuts, you can skip them for fat-free pesto.
- A quick and satisfying light meal with fresh flavors you can serve hot or at room temperature.
- Great with fresh pasta (which takes less time to cook) or zucchini noodles.
Recipe Ingredients
Pasta. Use traditional spaghetti or linguini for this recipe, or try higher protein chickpea or bean pasta.
Pine Nuts. The distinctive flavor of pine nuts is my favorite nut ingredient in basil pesto. Some recipes use cashews (or a mix), which makes a slightly creamier pesto.
Basil and Spinach. I use an equal mix of fresh basil and spinach leaves. This keeps the basil flavor from overpowering and keeps the pesto budget-friendly. Besides, it's a great way to incorporate more spinach into our diets.
Tomatoes. My husband's contribution to this recipe is blanched tomatoes, and it's a good one! Cherry or grape tomatoes are the best options because you'll cook them whole.
Lemon Juice. I tend to over-lemonize recipes like spinach curry. With that in mind, start with 2 tablespoons (half of what I actually used) and add more after tasting. Use the juice of a fresh lemon or from the bottle.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Recipe Variations
- For cheesy pesto, add a tablespoon of nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan cheese.
- If you want a nut-free option with a nutty flavor, my favorite and best budget option is sunflower seeds. Dry them in the blender or food processor before adding the other ingredients, so they break down.
- Pesto is naturally gluten-free. Use gluten-free pasta if you are restricting your wheat intake.
- Like it spicy? Add red chili flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Want to add more protein? Toss in a can of drained chickpeas or white beans.
How to Measure Pasta
It's confession time. I am terrible at ‘shooting from the hip’ when it comes to measuring dry pasta. It's not the end of the world if I have some left. I'll whip up a quick mustard maple dressing with chopped veg and call it lunch.
The general guideline is 2 ounces (56.7 grams) of dry pasta per person. That yields 1 cup of cooked pasta.
How to measure spaghetti
I'm adding a special call-out for spaghetti because I think it's so cool:
Grab the spaghetti between your thumb and index finger and visualize a diameter roughly the size of a U.S. quarter, a 2 Euro coin, or a U.K. 2 pence (cent) coin. No coins? Try looking at the back of the package – yep, many packages have a circle that says something like 'use this amount.'
Got a spaghetti spoon? Ever wondered why there's a hole in the middle? Sure, it might be to help the water drain off, but it's got an even slicker agenda. That hole measures approximately 2 ounces of dry spaghetti. Who knew?
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start the water for the pasta in a large pot. Toast the pine nuts over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes until brown. Stir constantly.
Transfer the pine nuts to a blender or food processor. Add the rest of the pesto ingredients and blend. Taste and add more salt or extra lemon juice as needed.
When the pasta is almost tender (about 2 minutes from done), add the cherry tomatoes to the boiling water and cook until the pasta is done. Scoop out a cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and tomatoes.
Mix pesto with the pasta. Add a little pasta water (2 tablespoons). Mix and add more if the pasta is a little dry.
Pro Tips
- Toasting pine nuts is optional, but they are SO good toasted. Stir them continuously and remove them from the pan immediately so they stop cooking.
- I discovered adding pasta cooking water to pesto back when I made red pasta pesto. It's a great cook's tip! The starchy water helps the pesto cling to the pasta and keeps it from drying out.
Serving Suggestions
Garnish pasta al pesto with torn basil leaves, lemon wedges, or a generous smattering of hemp parmesan cheese. Serve pesto pasta with a simple green salad with green goddess dressing or side roasted veggies or garlic bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Pesto can be frozen for 3 months, with or without cooked pasta. Place it in a freezer-friendly container or bag.
Because pesto is a light sauce, I've found it easiest to wrap leftovers in foil and reheat them in a steamer basket. If you reheat on the stove, add a little water and keep the stove temperature low to keep cooked pasta from sticking to the bottom. The microwave is also a great option.
This basil and spinach pesto green pesto is made from plant-based ingredients. Pesto Genovese is traditionally made with cheeses like parmigiano reggiano or pecorino sardo. You can make pesto Genoves vegan by adding vegan parmesan or other plant-based cheeses.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Easy Vegan Pasta al Pesto
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry pasta - 227 grams (see notes)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes - rinsed
- ¼ cup pine nuts - toasted
- 3 cups fresh basil - leaves and tender stems
- 3 cups spinach leaves
- 3 cloves garlic - minced or pressed
- 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Start the water for the pasta in a large pot. When it starts to boil, add the pasta. As soon as the water reaches boiling (again), lower the temperature slightly to keep it from boiling over.
- Heat a small or medium-heavy skillet or pan with a heavy bottom to medium-high. Add the ¼ cup of pine nuts and toast them. Stir them often until brown (about 1 ½ - 2 minutes). Immediately remove them from the heat and add them to a food processor or blender.
- Add the basil, spinach, garlic, 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon of salt (if using) to the food processor. Blend until smooth. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired.
- When the pasta is about 2 minutes from being done, add the cherry tomatoes. Cook until the pasta is tender but firm. The tomatoes will be soft, slightly wrinkly, and just starting to break down.
- Before draining the pasta, dip a cup in and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and tomatoes, but do not rinse them. Add them to a serving dish, bowl, or cooking pot.
- Mix in the pesto. Then mix in 2 tablespoons of the pasta water. If the pasta is a bit dry, add more cooking water.
- Mix in the pesto. Then mix in 2 Tbsp. of the pasta water. If the pasta is a bit dry, add more cooking water.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Garnish with lemon wedges, torn or chopped basil, or vegan parmesan.
Notes
- Spaghetti and linguini are traditional types of pasta to serve with pesto, but you can use any shape you like or use gluten-free or higher-protein chickpea or bean pasta.
- Pay attention to the pine nuts when toasting. The minute they start to brown, remove them from the heat. They burn easily.
- You should end up with about 1 ½ cups of pesto. The actual amount depends on the precise amounts of basil and spinach.
- The standard guideline is 2 ounces (56 gm.) of dry pasta per person per serving. For spaghetti or linguini, that's approximately the diameter of a quarter. Alternatively, use the hole in your pasta spoon as a guide.
- The starch from the unrinsed pasta helps the pesto adhere to it. For this reason, you should moisten the pasta with cooking water rather than tap water.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days or frozen for 3 months. Pesto can be made a day ahead or frozen for months.
- The best way to reheat pesto with pasta is to wrap it in foil and steam it in a steamer basket. If you reheat on the stove, add a little water or lemon juice and keep the heat low so the pasta doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pan. You can also reheat in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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