1-pot Green Chickpea Pasta with Broccolini and Oil-Free Vegan Basil Pesto
This 1-pot pasta recipe combines gluten-free chickpea pasta with creamy vegan green spinach pesto. Get your greens with broccolini, a sweet, tender relative of broccoli. This oil-free, plant-based recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
Keyword: 30 minutes or less, basil, chickpea pasta, creamy, dinner for one, easy, green, hclf, healthy, meal for one, oil-free, one pot meal, pasta, plant-based, quick, vegan, weeknight, wfpb, whole foods diet
Servings: 2
Calories: 390kcal
Ingredients
¼cupcashewssoaked
4cups5 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/2cupfresh basilstems removed
1clovegarlic
2teaspoonslemon juice
Salt and pepperto taste
½box2 servings Casarecce chickpea pasta
1bunch Broccolinitrimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
To make the 1-pot Green Chickpea Pasta with Broccolini and Spinach Pesto: Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. While this is coming to a boil, measure all of the ingredients for your oil-free basil pesto.
For the Oil-Free Basil Pesto: In a blender, combine cashews, baby spinach, fresh basil, garlic, lemon, salt, and pepper. Add ½ cup of water. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. This may take 1-2 minutes to get the cashews smooth. Leave the sauce in the blender.
When the pot of water is boiling, add the chickpea pasta noodles. Stir. Return to a boil. Cook for 4 minutes. Add the broccolini and cook 3 more minutes. The pasta should be “al dente”. Scoop out 2 cups of the pasta water. Then drain the pasta. Set aside.
Return the pot to the stove. Add the sauce from the blender and 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cooked pasta and broccolini to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until everything is hot, 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the pasta or it may fall apart. If you need more sauce, add more of the reserved pasta cooking water.