A creamy version of pesto pasta! With cashews, nutritional yeast, fresh basil and garlic, this simple sauce is perfect for quick weeknight dinners.
This creamy sauce is one part pesto, one part dairy-free Alfredo.
Blend everything together then toss with pasta of choice. If you like pesto, you’ve gotta try this one.
This meal also contains all of the PB3 categories– cashews (legumes, nuts and seeds), basil (fruits and vegetables) and whole-wheat pasta (grains and starches). You can serve this creamy pesto pasta recipe on it’s own, or pair with cubed pizza tofu and sliced fruit!
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Creamy Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta of choice We used whole wheat spaghetti
- 1 cup fresh basil leave
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water divided
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
- Add the basil, cashews, lemon, garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup pasta water to a blender. Puree until creamy and smooth. Taste, adding more salt if desired.
- Add the sauce to the noodles and toss together. If the pasta is too thick, add in more of the reserved pasta water. Serve immedietly as the sauce will thicken considerably as it cools.
