Pasta with Basil and Walnut Pesto

Yummy pasta with homemade basil and walnut pesto and added roast vegetables. It’s a brilliantly speedy dinner option and can be whipped up in minutes.

The third and final in my series of recipes with Snacking Essentials and California Walnuts is yummy pasta with homemade basil and walnut pesto.

It’s a brilliantly speedy dinner option and can be whipped up in minutes.

I’ve added courgettes here, but the dish also works well with peppers, mushrooms or any roast veggies.

Making your own pesto is really easy and can be healthier and more delicious than the shop bought version.

Basil pesto is classically made with pine nuts, but walnuts are a great option too, in fact, walnuts also offer 4.4g of protein and 1.4g of fibre and being low in sugar and very low salt.

I love working with Snacking Essentials because I know that I’m getting great quality.

And, California Walnuts are the best, and like on the new Snacking Essentials packs, they’re identifiable with a sticker or label which states: Produce of California or Produce of the USA on the pack.

I hope you enjoy, love Niki xx

Prep time: 15

Cook time: 30

4 servings

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Ingredients

300 g dried pasta of choice

For the pesto

60 g fresh basil leaves
150 g walnuts toasted
2 clove garlic peeled
Juice 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
100 ml water
1 tsp sea salt

For the roast veg

2 courgettes sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch sea salt

For the toppings

Toasted walnuts
Sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Cook the pasta as per pack instructions. Drain and set aside.

To make the pesto

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz to a paste. Transfer to a jar.

To cook the veg

Add the oil and courgettes to a frying pan and fry until soft.
Season.

To serve

Toss the 3- 4 tbsp of the pesto into the cooked pasta.
Add the courgettes.
Top with toasted walnuts, a sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

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I'd love to hear your comments…

Steve

3 months ago Reply

Excellent recipe. I usually wing it with pesto but this time i followed your recipe, only adding a few leaves of a bright green to lighten the color. I hadn’t used nooch in pesto before but it is a satisfactory sub for parmesan i upped the garlic by one clove too. It all blended easily and tasted great.

Pasta with Basil and Walnut Pesto

The Recipe