Description
This vegan arugula pesto pasta is absolutely delicious. The pesto sauce is super easy to make, and quick too! Just mix the pesto with pasta and that’s it! Everyone loves this recipe, vegans and non-vegans alike. You must give this arugula pesto pasta dish a try!
Ingredients
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5 or 7oz. package baby arugula
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1/3 cup raw cashews
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1/2 cup raw walnuts
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1/4 cup nutritional yeast
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2 cloves garlic
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1 lemon
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1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1 lb. pasta
Instructions
1. Lightly toast the walnuts in a small pan on top of the stove. Set aside.
2. Place the garlic cloves and cashews in a food processor and pulse a few times until the cashews are crumbly.
3. Add the toasted walnuts, nutritional yeast, half of the arugula, olive oil, juice of the lemon, and salt. Pulse 7 to 8 times to start incorporating everything. You may need to open the food processor and press down the arugula to help get it going. Pulse again if that is the case, then add the remaining arugula. Continue pulsing until the ingredients come together.
4. Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Just before draining the pasta, reserve 1/2 cup or so of the pasta water, then drain. Put the cooked pasta back into the cooking pot or a large bowl. Add the arugula pesto to the pasta and stir to incorporate thoroughly. If you need a bit more moisture, here is where you can add some of the reserved pasta water to help loosen the pesto up a bit.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
We’ve used penne pasta for this recipe. Use any shape you prefer.
Whole wheat pasta tastes great with this arugula pesto sauce.
The pesto can be refrigerated for a few days if you want to make it ahead of time and before you use it. It can also be frozen. Just make sure you cover the pesto with a layer of olive oil to keep air from turning the pesto brown. Similarly to how you would refrigerate or freeze a basil pesto.
Try arugula pesto on potato gnocchi, spaghetti squash, rice, and grilled or roasted vegetables.
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: vegan arugula pesto pasta, arugula pesto with cashews and walnuts, vegan pesto sauce, vegan arugula pesto