ramyaramesh3007I’m not kidding when I say – this is one of the most flavourful and fresh pesto pasta recipe! Paired with turmeric tofu, you can make this gluten free and oil free without compromising on deliciousness.
This unique pesto recipe features the peppery flavour of arugula in a creamy pesto sauce. Paired with flavourful pan-fried turmeric tofu, this meal is complete with herbs, spices, vegetables and protein. You can also pair this with a side salad or a crispy piece of sourdough.
With a million pesto recipes out there, I’m not going to convince you mine is the best. However, it’s one of my favourite versions of pesto and it can be made gluten free and gut-friendly. In a way, it’s an allergen-free recipe that does NOT compromise on taste.
Made with simple ingredients like rocket leaves, basil, lemon juice, and walnuts, this vegan version includes nutritional yeast sundried tomatoes for that extra oomph. We also use hing (asoefitida) here in place of alliums but if you are tolerant, you can substitute it with 1 to 2 fresh cloves of garlic.
What Ingredients Do I Need?
- any pasta – I used bucatini. Spaghetti, linguine and angel hair would be good options too!
- rocket leaves – I use locally sourced rocket or mizuna leaves from Greenhood (not affiliated)
- basil – what is pesto without basil?
- walnuts – substitute with cashews or pine nuts
- jalapeno – you can substitute this with half a green chili or 1-2 tsp chili flakes
- nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan – to add a cheesy flavour
- lemon juice – for acidity
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil – you can keep this out if oil free
- extra firm tofu – to make an easy pan fried turmeric tofu
- spices – hing, turmeric, garam masala, salt
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 in 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.
Spicy Jalapeno Rocket Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup rocket leaves
- 1/2 cup basil
- 2 tbsp walnuts (7-8)
- 1 jalapeno
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp vegan parmesan
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 8 sun dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup pasta water
Turmeric Tofu
- 150 g extra firm tofu
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tbsp garam masala
- pinch hing
- salt
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente.
- Drain the cooked pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, and set aside.
- In a food processor or blender, combine the rocket, basil, walnuts, jalapeno, nutritional yeast, vegan parm, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil. Add a splash of
- Blend until smooth.
- Cut the extra firm tofu into small cubes.
- To a pan, add olive oil and spices: hing, turmeric and garam masala. Add the tofu onto the pan and pan fry until crispy.
- Keep the tofu aside. Add oil and 5 chopped sun dried tomatoes. Saute for a few minutes.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the rocket pesto until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Serve the rocket pesto pasta warm, garnished with turmeric tofu and more sun dried tomatoes. Enjoy!