Simple Delicious Vegan Cashew Pesto Penne Pasta
A simple colorful dish which is easy to prepare. The pesto is fresh and aromatic. The peppery veggie mix combine well with the pesto and create a delicious vegan dish.
Ingredients
For the pesto:
- 1/2 bunch curly leaf parsley.
- 1/2 cup Raw cashews.
- 1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil.
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Freshly ground pepper.
- Juice of one whole lemon (optional).
For the pasta:
- 2 cups Dried penne pasta cooked.
- 1 Yellow pepper chopped.
- 1 Red pepper chopped.
- 1/4 cup Chopped onion.
- 2-3 Chopped cloves of garlic.
- 1/2 tsp Salt (or season it to your needs.)
- 1/4 cup Water, if the pesto is too thick.
- 1 tsp Freshly ground pepper
- Chopped parsley or basil for garnishing.
- 4-6 tbsp Pesto
Instructions
For the pesto:
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Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend it until smooth creamy and bright green. Taste and adjust seasoning.
For the pasta:
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Cook pasta according to its package instructions. For this dish I cooked penne till it was "al dente" ( for about 9-10mins). Drain and keep it aside.
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Heat two table spoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and garlic. After a minute or so, add the chopped peppers. Let the peppers cook until its raw flavor is gone (About five minutes and stir it to avoid uneven cooking).
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Add a cup of frozen green peas to the peppers and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add cooked penne and pesto to the pan. Season it with freshly ground pepper and sea salt. Stir constantly, so that pesto coat penne and allow the pesto to cook with the delicious veggie mix (It is important to cook the pesto thoroughly so you won't taste the raw garlic.). Add 1/4 cup of water if you think the pesto is too thick at the end and let the sauce reduce to the desired consistency. Enjoy and let me know how you liked the recipe.
Recipe Notes
Notes:
- I also made this same pesto with walnuts. While walnut pesto is also really tasty, cashews really add a creaminess and smoothness and that cannot be beat in this simple dairy free delicious Vegan Cashew Pesto Penne.
- The pesto when it is made, is not very thick but it thickens up FAST with some heat, so make sure to add some water when needed (more details in the recipe.)
- The juice of lemon is optional but I love my pesto a bit tangy.