Easy Wholegrain Pasta With Spinach Pesto
A vegan spinach pesto with wholegrain pasta is exactly what you need when you want to eat something delicious and nutritious in a rush. The pesto is nut-free and you can make it with gluten-free pasta for a gf dish.
Servings: 8
Calories: 344kcal
Ingredients
- 16 oz whole wheat pasta (or gluten-free pasta, if gf. Use any small pasta shape)
- 1 cup kalamata olives , cut into rings or whichever way you want
- 2 cups green beans , cooked (I used frozen ones pre-cut in 1-inch lengths and toss them into the boiling pasta water for the last five minutes that the pasta is cooking. They turn out just perfect.)
- 3 tablespoon roasted sunflower seeds
For the pesto
- 4 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup raw cashews (substitute with walnuts, roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds, pecans, or even the more traditional pine nuts)
- 4 cloves garlic , smashed
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (use less if you want to, but I like my pasta with plenty of olive oil!)
- 1 tablespoon white miso (substitute with salt to taste if you don't have or want to use this)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta until al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, place all pesto ingredients in a food processor and process until everything's broken down into a rough paste
- Place the pesto and pasta in a bowl, and add all the veggies and sunflower seeds. Add a quarter to a half cup of the pasta cooking water to the bowl. Check salt.
- Mix together thoroughly and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1665IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3mg