If you thought pesto couldn’t be complete without parmesan cheese, well, I have some good news for you! This vegan-ified sauce is, dare I say it, even better than the original. Really. Packed with the superfoods organic kale and coconut oil, it’s not only tasty, but healthy, too. Yep, a pasta dish that’s good for you. Get ready for your new not-so-guilty pleasure.
Plus, it’s healthy for the community because 75% of the ingredients are from local businesses.
At first, I was a little hesitant of creating pesto from kale. While I love kale in salads, I didn’t know if it had a place in this classic sauce. As it turns out though, the kale added a fresh flavor and texture, and I felt great about consuming the superfood in a unique way. Blending kale with coconut oil creates a wonderfully smooth consistency. Kale is a multivitamin in a vegetable: high in fiber, iron, vitamin K, vitamin A, calcium, and antioxidants.
Another ingredient to our pesto is Pine nuts. They are a good source of monounsaturated fat, protein, magnesium, and iron.
The other star superfood is virgin organic coconut oil. It’s Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) may assist with weight management, as they have been proven to increase metabolism and satiety. Coconut oil also boasts LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol lowering benefits, and may even increase HDL (the “good”) cholesterol. This recipe also uses whole-grain pasta for a excellent complex carbohydrate, protein, and fiber source.
Something else that I love about this recipe is how simple it is. This recipe makes a great 30-45 minute weeknight dinner, yet is decadent enough to fool guests into thinking you were in the kitchen for a few hours. The pesto is made by throwing a few ingredients into a blender, and is then added with the cooked pasta to the sautéed veggies in the pan. Pretty much a one-pot-dish. I recommend making extra pesto while you’re at it, as it’s ultra versatile and can be used on pizza, in dips, baked into bread, or in a salad. Yum! Easy extra vegan meal opportunities.
The mildly sweet, fresh coconut oil plays well with the sharp taste of the kale as the pesto mixes beautifully with the sweet-tart essence of the sun-dried tomatoes, as well as the earthy aroma of the mushrooms. While the signature pesto texture is consistent throughout the dish, the layers of vegetable composition is still able to stand out and offer its own unique contribution. For the above reasons, this recipe may become one of my favorite dinners! It also doesn’t hurt that its healthy, far less oily than pesto, and packed with superfoods.
Another reason this recipe is a favorite is because it supports our health values and our community values. Buying from local businesses means a lot to us. We’re able accomplish that mission in this recipe thanks to the Bellingham Food Co-op (Bellingham, WA), Ralph’s Greenhouse (Mt Vernon, WA), Bellingham Pasta Co (Bellingham, WA) and of course Roots and All (Bellingham, WA). Please know we purchased these ingredients ourselves and did not receive any ad dollars from mentioning them. Speaking of, you can get our organic coconut oil here, with free shipping.
Check out the video for instructions on how to prepare our spin on Vegan Pesto Pasta , or look below to see written instructions. Tag us in your masterpiece with the tag #tryrootsandall!
Vegan Pesto Pasta Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3/4 cup pine nuts
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 3 cups kale
- 1 cup basil
- 1 cup mint
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Roots and All Organic Coconut Oil
- 1/2 red or yellow onion
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup mushrooms
- 1 box whole grain pasta
How to Make It:
- Blend garlic, pine nuts, walnuts, kale, basil, mint, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor. A small amount of water may need to be added to facilitate the blending.
- After blending, add lemon juice and coconut oil, and blend again.
- Set pesto aside.
- Begin cooking the noodles.
- Preheat pan to 300 degrees F. Once hot, add one tablespoon coconut oil.
- Add onion. Once onions are translucent, add sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are golden brown.
- Add pesto and the cooked noodles to the pan, and mix thoroughly.
- Remove from heat, and serve!
Roots and All 