One destination that is on the top of my bucket list to visit is Italy. There’s something about the culture, food and landscape that draws me in. I’ll be honest though, I’m not the biggest fan of pasta or pizza but put pesto on the menu? I’m all in!
When I go to the grocery store to purchase pesto, most of the time it’s extremely high in sodium, with preservatives and made with seed oils. I prefer using extra virgin olive oil, coconut or avocado oil when I’m cooking. Because of this, I decided to make my own version of a plant based pesto without the parmesan or pine nuts.
If you want a budget friendly and delicious take on pesto (that’s also dairy free), I got you covered 😉
Ingredients
Pesto Sauce + Pasta
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of olive oil (more oil will give you a smoother consistency)
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 14 ounces fusilli pasta
- 2 cups of cherry tomatoes
Roasted Tempeh and Cannelinni Beans
- 4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp dry basil
- 2 tsp red pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 ounces tempeh
- 1 can of cannellini beans
Step 1: Start by bringing a pot of hot water to a boil for the fusilli pasta. While the water is boiling begin to prep the basil pesto.
Step 2: Add 2 cups of fresh basil, 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast or fresh parmesan (if you prefer pesto with dairy), 3 cloves of garlic minced (about 1 tbsp), 3/4 cup of olive oil, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, 1/8 tsp fresh cracked pepper and 1/4 tsp sea salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth and set aside to mix in with the pasta.
Step 3: Next, add your pasta to the boiling water and let cook for about 9 minutes.
Step 4: While that is cooking get one pan ready. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and let heat for about 1 minute then add the cherry tomatoes. Season the tomatoes with fresh pepper, one dash of salt and garlic powder to taste. Let heat over stove top at medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Step 5: In a bowl add your crumbled tempeh. Use your hands to get it to the consistency of taco meat. Next, season with 4 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp oregano, 2 tsp basil, and 2 tsp red pepper. Mix together. Strain the cannellini beans and set aside.
Step 6: By this time the pasta should be ready to be strained. Set aside in a separate bowl.
Step 7: In the same pan you cooked the tomatoes add another tbsp of olive oil. Let heat for about one minute on medium heat. Thereafter, add the tempeh and let cook for about 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned.
Step 8: Add the basil pesto to the pasta and mix well. Next, add the cherry tomatoes followed by the tempeh and cannellini beans. Finally, add 1 tbsp of lemon juice and mix well.
Step 9: Top with fresh chopped basil. To ensure you’re getting a complete meal serve with a side of kale or spinach salad with dressing.
Ready to give it a try? Drop a comment with any questions or feedback on how you liked it!
the whole seed 