End of Summer Pesto Pasta
This has been my go-to meal all summer and continues to be now. Before I left for school I made a huge batch of pesto and froze it to enjoy throughout my fall semester. This recipe is super easy and tasty. I may be a little late with the whole “end of summer” thing seeing as it already feels like November outside (burrr) and I already have a cold, but I say better late then never!
This year I was involved with orientation week at my school. It was a big commitment, but lots of fun too! Prior to the craziness of Oweek, my roommate and I hit up the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market and, of course, Costco to stock up on some staples to pull us through. At the market we bought a bushel basket full of Ontario peaches, which we peeled, sliced and froze to use throughout the fall and winter. Our house this year has a chest freezer, which is amazing, and I intend to take full advantage of it. My peaches are currently in the chest freezer along with Ontario blueberries, strawberries, corn and my pesto. Needless to say, I will be eating well this semester.
Before I left for school my garden was bursting with produce, it made me sad to leave it :(, but I was sure to harvest lots of tomatoes, kale, zucchini and basil to bring to school with me. I had more herbs than I knew what to do with, so most of them are currently hanging in my closet at home. Last summer I dried basil from my garden and used it to make delicious basil salt, which I still have kicking around in my kitchen.
Anyway, enough of my rambling! I hope you all enjoy this pasta recipe as much as I do!
xx
Ashley
Ingredients
Vegan Pesto (makes extra)
- 2 packed cups fresh basil, leaves torn
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons lemion juice
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Pasta
- 200 grams pasta of choice
- 2 handfuls green beans
- 4 cremini mushrooms
- 2 cups tuscan kale, roughly torn
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
Vegan Pesto
- Combine all the pesto ingredients, except for the oil, in a food processor and blitz a few times. While the processor is going, add the oil slowly through the feeding tube. Blend for about a minute or until desired consistency is reached. You may have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.
Pasta
- Cook the noodles according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Once heated, add the beans, mushrooms and zucchini. Season the veggies and sauté for about 5-10 minutes. Add the kale and continue to sauté until whithered. Remove from the heat.
- Add the cooked noodles to the pan with the vegetbales and stir in 1/4 cup (or more!) of the pesto. Stir well to combine. Serve immediately or pop it in the fridge to enjoy later.