Pesto Primavera Pasta with Roasted Veggies is a vibrant dish full of colorful veggies and gluten free pasta coated in a Creamy Vegan Pesto. This pasta dish is a rainbow of colors with roasted orange pepper, green asparagus, purple eggplant and red tomatoes. The Creamy Vegan Pesto contains fresh basil, cheesy nutritional yeast, raw garlic for kick and toasted pin nuts to give it a rich nutty flavor. Pesto Primavera Pasta with Roasted Veggies is full of veggies because I like to enjoy my pasta with 50% veggies and 50% noodles.

Basil

Basil is in the same family as mint and has a subtle peppery flavor that evolves into a sweet licorice flavor. Basil pairs well with asparagus, broccoli, corn, zucchini, eggs, chicken and fish. Basil contains flavaniods that protect cells and chromosomes from radiation, making pesto a great sauce to eat before and after a flight. The volatile oils in basil have antibacterial properties and have been shown to restrict the growth of several strains of bacteria, even those that have become resistant to antibiotic. Basil is an excellent anti-inflammatory because the oils inhibit the same inflammation causing enzyme as over counter anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen. Basil also is an excellent source of Vitamin K which promotes blood clotting and bone health.

Pesto Primavera Pasta with Roasted Veggies is a wonderful vegan dish but it also tastes great with organic chicken.  I like to use gluten free brown rice penne noodles for this recipe, but you can easily substitute your favorite whole grain noodles. This pesto primavera pasta recipe takes a little time to prepare because the veggies are roasted to bring out their natural sweetness and intensify their flavor.

Creamy Vegan Pesto sauce is really easy to prepare and it’s so creamy you would never know it is diary free! To start making the pesto, toast 6 tablespoons of pine nuts on high heat in a dry frying pan. This step really enhances the flavor of the pesto. It is important to stay with the pan and shake the pine nuts every few seconds while they are cooking because they burn really quickly. Once the pine nuts are golden brown, remove them from the frying pan and set them aside to cool. If you put piping hot pine nut in the vegan pesto the heat will cook the basil and take away some of it’s vibrant green color and flavor.

Pesto Primavera Pasta with Roasted Veggies

(gluten free, vegan, dairy free)

Prep time: 25 minutes

Bake time: 30-45 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serving size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 orange pepper, diced
• 1 bunch asparagus cut into ½ inch sections
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 3 portabella mushrooms, diced
• 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 4 Tbsp Grapeseed oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups dried pasta of your choice
• *optional 2 chicken organic breasts, diced the same size as the veggies

Creamy Vegan Pesto

• 6 Tbsp pine nuts
• 4 garlic clove
• 4 cups basil, packed
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the onion, orange pepper, asparagus, eggplant, portabella mushrooms and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl and toss with 4 Tbsp grapeseed oil, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread onto the baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes or until soft, stirring every 10 minutes.
4. While the veggies are cooking, cook the pasta as directed on the package, drain and set aside.
5. *If adding chicken, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat; add the chicken and sauté until the center is no longer pink. Remove the pan and set aside.
6. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry saucepan on high heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
7. Place the garlic in the food processor and pulse until minced.  Add the basil, olive oil, water, toasted pine nuts and pulse until minced. Add the lemon juice, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper and pulse until smooth.
8. Add the cooked veggies, pasta, chicken (if using) and creamy vegan pesto in a large frying pan and mix. Heat Pesto Primavera Pasta with Roasted Veggies on medium heat until heated through and enjoy.

You can really play around with the veggies you use in this recipe. Leave a comment letting me know what you used and how you liked it!