Super enjoyable vegan pesto in 10 minutes!
With pine nuts and basil.
The word pesto is Italian and means crushed. In other words, its name also reveals the way it is made. Just mash all the ingredients for the pesto.
Pesto is a green sauce that is traditionally based on pine nuts, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt and cheese, but we do not use it in our vegan pesto. Instead we can, optionally, use nutritional yeast and our pesto becomes not only vegan, but also amazingly delicious.
Pesto may have become famous for its use in pasta, but it is also used in other recipes. As a sauce in salads, sandwiches and wraps, but also as a spread on bruschettas and pizzas.
Although in pesto we most commonly use basil and pine, these two ingredients can be easily replaced. So, instead of basil, we can put some other green leafy vegetable or herb, such as arugula, spinach or parsley. While instead of pine nuts we can use our favorite nuts, such as sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds or cashews. We can also mix both different herbs and nuts, such as pesto with pine nuts, walnuts, basil and parsley. That way we create incredibly tasty and aromatic variations that are all delicious!
We can also completely avoid pine nuts or other nuts or nutritional yeast. So, basil, olive oil, garlic, and salt are enough for a more liquid vegan pesto with a cleaner and stronger aroma of garlic and basil.
We can use any kind of basil, but the broadleaf basil is traditionally used. Usually, no pepper is added, but, as we find it quite suitable, if we want we can add freshly ground pepper on top of our plate when serving.
Traditionally the ingredients are crushed in the mortar. But some people prefer a more combined sauce. In this case, we blend our pesto in the blender or food processor. If we want to keep the texture and not fully combined sauce, we just blend it less. There is no right or wrong way, it is just a matter of personal choice. In any case, the result is fantastic! It is worth noting that our vegan pesto is also raw vegan.
Try it our vegan recipe for pesto with rigatoni, linguine, or your favorite pasta and we are waiting for your comments!
If you feel bold and you are ready for a special variation, you can try our vegan recipe for beetroot pesto.
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Pasta with vegan pine nuts and basil pesto in 10 minutes!
Ingredients
Ingredients for vegan pesto
- 1½ cup fresh basil leaves coarsely chopped and loosely packed
- ½ cup pine nuts or sunflower seeds
- ½ cup water from the pasta water
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- salt
Additional materials
- 250 g rigatoni or gluten-free penne
Optional for garnish
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 4 fresh basil leaves
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Vegan pine nuts and basil pesto
- Blend all the ingredients for the vegan pesto in the blender.
Pasta with vegan pesto
- Bring pasta to boil, make the pesto, and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Once the spaghetti is cooked, mix them well with the pesto sauce and they are ready.
Serving
- Serve at room temperature. You can add freshly ground pepper or decorate your dish with cherry tomatoes cut in half and 2-3 small basil leaves.
Notes
- Add the basil in your vegan pesto without the stalks.
- Adjust the thickness by adding more or less water (or rather water in which the pasta boiled).
- If you store it in the refrigerator, put it in a closed jar after first covering its surface with a little olive oil.
- For more intense taste add extra garlic, lemon, basil or salt depending on your preferences.
- For more creamy texture add less water or extra pine nuts or other nuts.
- Lovers of nutritional yeast... can even double the recommended dosage, perhaps adding some more water.
Nutrition
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Thanks so much Nik! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Just wonderful! I was looking for a recipe for vegan pesto and I found your recipe Theodori and we really enjoyed it!!!!!