Vegan creamy pesto pasta

  • Skill Medium
  • Prep time 5 mins
  • Cook time 10 mins
  • Servings 4
Creamy almond milk creates a special twist on a classic.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup cashews
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups So Good™ Almond Original Milk
  • 1/4 cup plain or whole spelt flour
  • 400g penne pasta, cooked

Method

  1. Place basil, garlic, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the oil into a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. Scrape down sides of jug, add cashews and pulse again to a rough paste.
  2. Drizzle remaining oil into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, whisk to combine, and cook for a minute or two until the roux starts to smell toasted.
  3. Reduce heat to low, add almond milk to the pan and whisk vigorously to avoid lumps. Simmer for 3–5 minutes until thickened.
  4. Remove pan from heat, add pesto and whisk again. Add cooked pasta and stir to coat. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.
  5. Sauce can be thinned with a bit of extra almond milk or reserved pasta cooking water if you wish. Serve hot with extra basil leaves.

Tips

  • Put your pasta water on to boil as you start the pesto, so it’s ready to go. Drop in pasta and cook according to packet directions while the white sauce is thickening. Drain, reserving a bit of the water for your sauce.
  • Per Serve
  • Energy (kJ)
    2460
  • Energy (Cal)
    589
  • Protein (g)
    16.1
  • Fat (g)
    21.1
  • Saturated Fat (g)
    3.2
  • Carbohydrate (g)
    80.4
  • Sugars (g)
    3.8
  • Dietary Fibre (g)
    5.6
  • Sodium (mg)
    40
  • Potassium (mg)
    353
  • Iron (mg)
    2.1
  • Calcium (mg)
    207