Rigatoni with Parsley Walnut Pesto [vegan]

This vegan parsley walnut pesto pasta is simple to make and full or super fresh flavours. Parsley, spinach and walnuts add an earthy depth of flavour and loads of nutrition. You can double the recipe and freeze half for garden fresh flavour all winter.

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Autumn has arrived and it with, cooler weather, warm sweaters and cozy meals.  In the garden, several plants are being cleared to make room for  fall and winter crops which, in turn, will also give the early autumn plants some room for the remainder of the season…not that there is much room back there.

Last year we nurtured a second hand parsley plant which didn’t fair so well after transplanting. It eventually died and became compost.  Anyway, this year we were surprised by several patches of volunteer parsley popping up here and there thanks to last years sacrifice. Parsley is doing very well, needless to say, and it has filled up almost every gap in the beds! No complaints though, I love the stuff and Connor loves having free reign to pluck as much as he wants.

Given the amount of ‘garnish’ we have floating about, it seems appropriate to share this recipe for parsley walnut pesto. Really, parsley deserves more credit than ‘garnish status’ – it’s the epitome of fresh taste, plus it’s very nutritious. I love to prominently feature it in salads, smoothies and in this case, pesto…slathered over rigatoni noodles (my favourite).  Walnuts add a soft earthly flavour and omega threes to this recipe, and fresh spinach adds a little extra nutrition to this already super green savory toss. This take on traditional pesto, contains nutritional yeast in place of the Parmesan to give that robust cheese flavour. You’ll love it.

Parsley walnut pesto doubles and freezes well. Give it a go!

hugs xx

5 from 1 vote

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Rigatoni with Parsley Walnut Pesto [vegan]

This vegan pesto pasta is simple to make and full or super fresh flavours of parsley and spinach. Walnuts add an earthy depth of flavour. You can double the recipe and freeze half for garden fresh flavour all winter.

Course Main Course

Keyword parsley, Pasta, pesto, vegan

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 3 people

Ingredients

• 2 cups (75g) fresh parsley
• 1 cup (40g) fresh spinach
• Heaping 1/3 cup (50g) raw walnut halves
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 clove garlic peeled
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 350 g Rigatoni pasta uncooked

Instructions

1. In a food processor, or high speed blender, combine all ingredients except the pasta, and blend on high until well combined and the mixture reaches a fairly smooth puree. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides to ensure everything is incorporated evenly.

2. Cook pasta as per package directions, drain and then place back in the cooking pot. Stir in the pesto and serve.
   

Recipe Notes

You can double the amount of pesto and freeze it for later use. Alternatively, you can make the pesto a day of head of time- place it in a bowl then top with a thin layer of olive oil. Cover and store in the fridge until you're ready to use it.  Any type of pasta can be used with this recipe.

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