Avocado Pesto Pasta Recipe (Vegan)

AVOCADO PESTO PASTA RECIPE

By Veggie Society - Florentina

https://veggiesociety.com/avocado-pesto-pasta-recipe/#recipe

Ingredients

• 1 avocado (flesh only, pit + skin discarded)
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 cup Lacinato kale (chopped + packed)
• 1/3 cup basil leaves
• 1 lemon juiced
• 3 cloves garlic grated
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 3/4 cup pasta cooking water
• 1 lb spaghettini pasta (durum wheat semolina ideally)

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season generously with coarse sea salt (approximately 2 tbsp or so- the pasta water should taste like the sea). Add your durum wheat spaghettini and cook until al dente according to package instructions. A couple of minute before the pasta is done make sure to reserve one cup of the cooking water.
  1 lb spaghettini pasta
• Meanwhile to the bowl of a powerful blender add the walnuts, basil, garlic, avocado, lemon juice and chopped kale. Pour in 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and process until a silky emulsion is achieved. Add more water as needed or desired. Taste and adjust seasonings with sea salt and lemon. (If you seasoned the pasta water correctly then you won’t need to add any extra salt into the pesto).
  1 avocado,1/2 cup walnuts,1 cup Lacinato kale,1/3 cup basil leaves,1 lemon,3 cloves garlic,1 pinch sea salt,3/4 cup pasta cooking water
• Drain the pasta (do not rinse) and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Pour the pesto over the top and using a pair of kitchen tongs toss well until coated all over.
• Serve garnished with fresh or roasted cherry tomatoes, toasted bread crumbs, a pinch of crushed red pepper and lemon wedges

WFPB + Plantricious

• The pesto sauce is WFPB compliant, just make sure to use a compliant pasta to toss it with.
  

Notes

• What can I use instead of kale? Although you can't really taste it after it's blended into the sauce, if you truly don't fancy this dark leafy green at all, you can swap it for equal parts of baby spinach, chard and even steamed broccoli florets.
• Food Processor vs Blender - For the creamiest sauce emulsion it is recommended to use a blender. If a more rustic texture is desired then a food processor will do the a great job!
• Nut-Free - Swap the walnuts for equal parts of sunflower or pumpkin seeds, toasting enhances their flavor but I don't find it necessary here. 

Nutrition

Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 712IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg