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Plate of creamy pesto pasta with white beans and fresh herbs, garnished with ground pepper; uncooked pasta and basil leaves hint at this easy creamy pesto pasta recipe.

Vegan Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe (with broccoli)

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  • Author: Ali Davies
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Vegan creamy pesto pasta with broccoli pesto, butter beans and a rich dairy-free sauce. Easy, comforting and delicious.

Ingredients

Scale

120g paccheri or any tube-shaped pasta

1 x 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed

120g homemade broccoli pesto

60ml reserved pasta water

60ml cashew milk, oat milk, soya milk or other creamy plant milk

1g black pepper, or to taste

3g salt, plus more for the pasta water and to taste

5g fresh basil, finely chopped

1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast, to serve

Extra virgin olive oil, to serve, optional

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente. Before draining, reserve about 100ml of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside.

2. Make the broccoli pesto

While the pasta cooks, make the broccoli pesto. Soak the cashews first if you are making it fresh, then steam the broccoli until cooked through and leave it to cool slightly. Add the broccoli, cashews, fresh basil, spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, vegan vegetable stock cube, garlic and salt to a food processor or blender and blend until nearly smooth. Add a splash of water, olive oil or lemon juice if you need to loosen it.

3. Make the creamy broccoli pesto sauce

Return the empty pasta pan to a medium heat. Add 120g of the broccoli pesto, 60ml of reserved pasta water, the plant milk, black pepper and salt. Whisk together for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is warm, creamy and slightly thickened. Add a little more pasta water if you prefer a looser sauce.

4. Add the butter beans and pasta

Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the drained butter beans and cooked pasta to the sauce. Stir gently until the pasta is coated and the butter beans are warmed through, about 1-2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

5. Serve

Spoon into bowls and top with finely chopped fresh basil, freshly cracked black pepper, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and a drizzle of olive oil if you like.

Equipment

Notes

Make sure you reserve some pasta water before draining the pasta. This makes a big difference because the starch in the water helps the creamy pesto sauce cling to the pasta.

Warm the sauce gently over medium heat, then reduce to medium-low or low heat when adding the pasta and butter beans. You do not need to boil the sauce; you just want everything warmed through and coated.

If the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash more pasta water. If you want it even creamier next time, use cashew milk rather than a thinner plant-based milk.

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Find it online: https://wemadethisvegan.com/vegan-creamy-pesto-pasta-recipe-with-broccoli/

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