ramyaramesh3007I’m not kidding when I say – this is one of the easiest and creamiest pesto pasta recipe! You can make this gluten free and oil free without compromising on bursting flavour from roasted zucchini and fresh basil.
Made with traditional pesto ingredients like basil, lemon juice, and pine nuts, this vegan version includes roasted zucchini and nutritional yeast for that extra oomph. This recipe also uses garlic powder but if you are tolerant, you can substitute it with 1 to 2 fresh cloves of garlic.
The pesto can be considered raw vegan if you don’t toast the pine nuts. I like toasting them for a stronger flavour profile but this is completely up to you!
Ingredients You Need
- Fresh Basil Leaves – both sweet basil or thai holy basil will work for this recipe.
- Zucchini – roast chopped zucchini on a pan or in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 200C.
- Pine nuts – these are a little expensive but if you’re looking to make a more authentic pesto, the flavour of these nuts are unmatched.
- Lemon Juice – for acidity
- Nutritional Yeast – a vegan’s holy grail substitute for parmesan cheese.
- Pasta – you can use any type of pasta, including a gluten free version.
Substitutes
You can also substitute roasted zucchini with 1/2 an avocado to make avocado pesto. See my 15-min Vegan Avocado Pesto.
You can substitute pine nuts with cashews or walnuts as well.
I use a wheat-based pasta for this recipe but a gluten free version tastes almost exactly the same. For gluten free pasta options, I love anything that is made with brown rice due to the similarity in texture and taste. You can opt for your favourite gluten free pasta for this recipe.
I also heard that some nutritional yeast brands contain gluten. The one I use by Bob’s Red Mill doesn’t, but do be extra careful if you are gluten intolerant.
Vegan Zucchini Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 150 g dry pasta
- 250 g zucchini
- 35 g basil leaves
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- salt
- splash of olive oil (optional)
- pine nuts (to top)
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Rinse with cold water to prevent it from sticking.
- Roast the zucchini on a pan until they are roasted. You can opt out of using oil for this step.
- Lightly toast pine nuts until they are light brown.
- Add all ingredients to a blender – roasted zucchini, basil, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and olive oil.
- Pulse 5-8 times until you get the desired consistency – blending causes a more creamier consistency compared to pulsing.
- Combine with pasta and top with toasted pine nuts.