My coworker gave me a monster bunch of basil from his garden. It was so fragrant that my entire office smelled of basil that day. Naturally, I made pesto! I roasted up some fresh summer veg – corn, red peppers, yellow squash, regular squash and red onion and I tossed it with some chickpea pasta and homemade pesto.
Basil Pesto
The pesto I made had 3 cups of fresh basil, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil and I mixed a combination of almonds and cashews. Cashews give a creaminess, almonds give a nice texture to the pesto. For an extra “cheesy” flavor, I add 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a type of yeast that is really good for you, it is a great source of B vitamins, including B-12 which is difficult for vegans and vegetarians to attain. It also contains protein. I like to use it because it does actually remind me of the cheesy flavor.
While basil has the strongest flavor, when it isn’t in season it can be quite expensive. Feel free to reduce the amount of basil in this recipe and sub for a bunch of spinach. Spinach has a mild flavor and will not disrupt Basil’s magical sharpness. Pesto takes 5 minutes to make and freezes really well!
I accidentally used all the basil in the pesto and left none for garnish! Don’t make that mistake, fresh basil on top is a delight for the eyes and senses!
Chickpea Pasta
The pasta I used in this dish was Barilla Chickpea Rotini, which boasts 11g of protein per serving. It also has fewer carbs than regular pasta and more fiber, which helps you process it slower. I would say it held up well and is a great pasta alternative!
Roasted Veggies
Feel free to use whatever veggies you have on hand! I used squash that was also from my coworkers garden and an assortment of other local summer veggies.
Roasted Summer Veggies with Vegan Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 ear corn kernels removed
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1 yellow squash chopped
- 1 zucchini squash chopped
- 3 cups basil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup good quality olive oil
- 1/4 cup mixture of almonds and cashews
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3-5 tbsp water
Instructions
Roast the Veggies
- Preheat the oven to 400° F
- Lay all veggies on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil
- Season with sea salt and Italian seasoning
- Roast for 20-25 minutes until cooked and slightly browned
Make the Pesto
- In a food processor, combine basil, garlic, nutritional yeast, nuts and 1 tsp salt
- To start with, you can add 1/4 cup olive oil and 3 tbsp salt. If no oil, you can replace with water or vegetable broth.
- Pulse to combine, adding water as necessary
- Taste and adjust salt to taste.
Assemble Pasta
- Cook Pasta according to directions, ensuring to salt the pasta water well.
- Combine pasta, veggies and pesto. Mix well.
- Garnish with basil, nutritional yeast or Parmesan (If not vegan)
Notes
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