Embark on a flavorful journey celebrating the vibrant world of vegan pesto, where taste and nutrition harmonize in a symphony of plant-based goodness. I’m a die-hard enthusiast of the classic Genovese pesto, with its basil, pine nuts, and cheese – a love that’s unwavering. However, every now and then, I yearn for something a bit more earthy, prompting me to play with various herbs and nuts I have at my fingertips. Since these aren’t your typical recipes, I get to be a bit more adventurous, infusing unique and exotic flavors like Thai basil and Korean perilla, which are not only close to my heart but also my taste buds.
Vegan food means different things to different people. Although I’m not a vegan, crafting and savoring these delectable and nourishing vegan meals always brings a sense of satisfaction. Get ready to redefine mindful eating with these six tasty, wholesome, and effortlessly nutritious vegan pesto dishes. Let’s dive in!
Basil, parsley, walnut pesto with wholewheat Cavatappi and sun-dried tomatoes
This earthy vegan pesto is a delightful treat on its own, but its flavor reaches new heights when paired with robust, umami-packed ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes. Opting for whole wheat cavatappi or any pasta with a similar shape proves to be the perfect choice, as the nutty pesto clung perfectly to the corkscrew-shaped curls of the pasta.
* 25g/0.9oz. basil
* 15g/0.5oz. flat leaf parsley
* 1 tbsp. fresh thyme
* 2/3 cup. walnuts
* 3 tbsp. walnut oil
* 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
* 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
* 1-2 garlic cloves
* zest of 1/2 lemon
* salt and black pepper to taste
Wholewheat spaghetti with avocado, peas, basil and mint pesto
Begin by cooking dry whole wheat spaghetti in a pan of salted boiling water for approximately 10 minutes. Meanwhile, use a food processor to blend all the ingredients below into pesto. Toss the freshly cooked pasta with the pesto mixture before serving. Yes, you guessed it right, the whole thing takes just about 15 minutes.
* 240g/8.5 ripe avocado
* 15g/0.5oz. basil (leaves and stalks)
* 5g/0.18oz. mint leaves
* 2 tsp. lemon juice
* 1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
* 1/2 cup. cooked peas
* Salt and pepper to taste
Wholewheat penne with Korean perilla “Ggaenip” pesto
My tribute to one of the most exquisite and fragrant Korean herbs, perilla “깻잎”. This vegan dish is not only delicious and aromatic but also packed with nutrients, and incredibly simple to prepare. Cook your dried wholewheat penne according to the package instructions or to your liking (I recommend around 11-12 minutes for that perfect al dente bite). Then, blend all the ingredients listed below to create the flavorful pesto, mix it thoroughly with the pasta, and garnish with delicate baby perilla leaves.
* 50g/1.8oz. perilla leaves
* 3 tbsp. perilla oil
* 3 tbsp. perilla powder
* 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup. pine nuts
* salt to taste
Basil, walnut, and pistachio pesto with spinach fettuccini
Any pasta choice will work its magic with this beautifully flavored pesto, but I opted to go green all the way by serving it with spinach fettuccini. Simply blitz all the ingredients together, taste, season to perfection, and transfer the vibrant pesto into a sterilized jar. To maintain its freshness, pour a small amount of extra virgin olive oil on top, creating a protective layer before storing it in the fridge.
* 50g/1.8oz. basil
* 2 garlic cloves
* 1/4 cup. walnuts
* 1/4 cup. pistachios
* 1/4 cup. extra virgin olive oil, a little more for the top layer
* juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
* salt and black pepper to taste
Kale and walnut pesto with sultanas
My deep appreciation for vegan pesto, and fondness for kale led me to the concept of “vegan kale pesto” with expectations of a wholesome, fresh, and flavorful green delight. However, a slight hiccup arose – it tasted a tad too grassy for my liking. Unlike basil, kale brings a hint of bitter grassiness, an element that, while welcomed in a salad, seemed a bit off in my pesto. Traditional remedies involving increased garlic, extra virgin olive oil, or lightly cooking the kale didn’t quite resonate with me. So, what was my unconventional solution? I added a touch of sultanas! Not too much, just enough to counterbalance the raw kale’s grassy notes.
The inspiration for this twist came from a Sicilian pesto I made, inspired by Nigella Lawson’s recipe a while back. Surprisingly, the addition of sultanas worked like magic. It imparts a subtle sweetness that I find delightful, particularly when paired with slightly salty and umami-rich ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes and capers. This pesto with sweet twist is served with with sun dried tomatoes and capers on wholegrain toasts. It is, of course, fantastic with pasta too.
* 45g/1.6oz. chopped kale
* 60g/2.2oz. walnuts
* 1/2 cup. water
* 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
* salt and black pepper to taste
* 1-2 tbsp. sultanas or raisins. You should start with 1 tbsp, taste and add a little more if necessary.
Thai basil and cashew pesto with rice noodles
My Thai basil in the indoor smart garden exceeded my expectations with its rapid growth, prompting an earlier harvest. Given my fervor for pesto, I found it almost obligatory to create a Southeast Asian rendition. In this flavorful twist, I swapped cashews for pine nuts, embraced extra virgin coconut oil instead of olive oil, and introduced lime instead of lemon. The result was a delightful blend of fragrances and flavors, which I seamlessly incorporated into delicate rice noodles reminiscent of “char kway teow”. The outcome? A resounding success – a dish that’s not only beautifully aromatic but also rich in taste, light, and nutritious. In a food processor, blitz all the ingredients listed below and set the mixture aside. Cook dry rice noodles according to the package instructions, then combine them with the prepared pesto. Plate the dish, garnish with a few additional Thai basil leaves, and finish with a generous squeeze of lime before serving.
* 45g/1.6oz. Thai basil
* 50g/5.3oz. cashews
* 6 tbsp. melted extra virgin coconut oil
* 3 tbsp. water
* 4 1/2 tsp. lime juice
* 3-5 garlic clove
* Salt and pepper to taste
It was inevitable that my love for pesto would inspire me to create an artwork. I find illustrated recipes to be an exciting and visually engaging way to share my passion for this incredibly simple and beautiful food. Please check out printable version you can download here. Wall art prints and a variety of fun products with my food arts are also available on my Redbubble shop.