Vegan Walnut Pesto Cavatappi
This vegan walnut pesto cavatappi is a weeknight showstopper. It comes together in 20 minutes, is super satisfying, and offers lots of brain-boosting omega-3s.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cavatappi noodles or other spiral pasta
- 1 cup basil leaves
- ½ cup baby arugula
- ½ cup raw walnuts pieces
- 2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
- ½ to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, to taste
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste, plus more for salting the pasta water
- 1 recipe Vegan Nut // Seed Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, and return the cooked pasta to the pan.
- Meanwhile, prepare the walnut pesto by adding the basil, arugula, walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and sea salt to a food processor and processing for 1 to 2 minutes or until just shy of smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
- Spoon the pesto over the pasta, and toss to coat, adding in pasta water by the tablespoon only if absolutely needed to thin the sauce. NOTE: If you add pasta water, you'll likely need to add more salt as well.
- Taste and season with additional sea salt, if desired.
- Divide the pasta between bowls.
- Garnish with parmesan, if desired.