Vegan Pesto Pasta with Garlic Toast
Getting more greens into your diet can be challenging for a lot of Americans. This recipe is an easy way to get a lot of greens into one delicious pasta meal. Pesto doesn’t have to be made from basil and pine nuts. You can make pesto out of any leafy greens and nuts you have on hand.
Leafy greens are renowned for their numerous health benefits. Packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and arugula are excellent sources of nutrients crucial for overall well-being. These vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber, promoting healthy digestion and weight management. Consuming leafy greens regularly can help lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Additionally, the high levels of vitamins A and C in leafy greens support immune function and skin health. Incorporating a variety of leafy greens into your diet can significantly enhance your health and vitality so get those greens in every day!
I learned that pesto existed when I was around 30 years old but it has been around for a while. Pesto originated in Genoa, Italy, dating back to the Roman age. The word "pesto" comes from the Italian word "pestare," meaning to crush or pound, referencing the traditional method of preparing the sauce using a mortar and pestle. The classic recipe includes fresh basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese, all blended into a fragrant paste. So I’m not sure how I missed it for so long, but now it’s one of my favorite ways to dress pasta whether it’s being served hot or cold.
This recipe isn’t comprised of strict ingredient measurements either. It’s pretty freeform and hard to mess up.
Recipe ingredients:
about three really big handfuls of leafy greens of your choosing
one big handful of nuts of your choosing [except peanuts because they are actually a legume and have a very specific taste and peanut butter pasta is not what we are going for] walnuts, pine nuts and cashews are really nice for this but you could also use hazelnuts or almonds.
a big handful of vegan cheese [parmesan is traditional but if you don’t have it you can use any vegan cheese or even 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast]
a quarter cup of lemon juice [you can sub 2 tablespoons of vinegar]
a tablespoon of garlic powder [of course use as much as you want]
2 teaspoons of onion powder
a big tablespoon of basil [if basil is not in your greens]
1/4 cup of olive oil [add more if necessary]
salt and pepper to taste
16 oz box of pasta prepared according to the package directions
Put your nuts in a food processor and pulse it until your nuts are in smallish pieces. Add the greens and all of the other ingredients except cheese and olive oil. blend that all up until the greens are broken down into very small pieces a bit smaller than peas.
Now add the cheese and 1/4 cup of olive oil and blend that all together slowly adding more olive oil into the mix until you begin to see the mixture emulsifying. You’ll know that it’s happening because you’ll see the dark green color of the mixture start to turn a lighter green.
Now is the time to taste it and add what you want to get it to the flavor you enjoy. Does it need more tartness? Add more lemon juice [acid]. Does it need a little sweetness? Add a half teaspoon of sugar. Salt? Pepper? Garlic? You be the judge.
Mix your pesto in with your cooked pasta and serve with garlic toast.
Garlic Toast
Pieces of bread [I like to use sourdough bread]
olive oil
salt
garlic powder
black garlic, basil or Italian seasoning [optional]
drizzle olive oil on the pieces of bread. lightly sprinkle salt to your taste on top of the bread and do the same with the garlic powder. You can stop there or top it with another herb or seasoning of your choice. I have been loving black garlic lately.
Place your bread on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes at a time until you reach your desired level of toast. You can also put them in an air fryer on high [400] for 5 minutes at a time.