I’ve added some photos for this recipe now. It’s something I’ve been playing around with for meals and road trips/flights and had to pack quickly in tupperware and take with me. Whether you’re a lover of fresh hot pasta and veggies or cold summer pasta salad this recipe is really versatile and easy to make. It’s also a great way to use up any leftover veggies from the fridge.
I often find people asking what kind of plant based food they can bring in the car or on a plane that isn’t the same old granola bars, sandwiches, fruit, dried nuts etc. One thing I’ve found that really works is cold pasta salad. When this sauce is refrigerated it thickens up even more so it doesn’t look like a liquid at all. I’ve brought cold pesto pasta on several flights without issue and it’s nice to have something different than the same old wrap or sandwich that may potentially go mushy over time. It’s also nice that this doesn’t spoil very fast either so you don’t have to worry about eating it immediately. For the cold salad version I make a giant batch of rotini pasta and cook it al dente and then dice up raw cucumbers, raw peppers, red onion (or not), fresh green peas if you have them and stir them into the sauce and it’s amazing! For a hot pasta dinner I sautéed some of my favourite vegetables I had in the fridge and tossed them with the pasta in the pan to marry the flavours together with the sauce before serving. Please take my word on it that if you love basil, lemon and pasta you will love this recipe. It’s so fresh and tasty and I much prefer it to the standard oily and parmesan laden original pesto. I prefer to eat my food instead of wearing oil on my lips too!
This is also a great McDougall friendly option if you’re following that eating program. 🙂
Oil Free Cannellini Bean Pesto
Ingredients:
- 1 19 oz/540 ml can Cannellini Beans, low sodium or salt free or 2 cups cooked (any white bean should be fine)
- 3.5oz/100 grams/2 cups fresh basil, packed (as much basil as you can find really as we’re not using oil it needs a lot to pack flavour)
- 1/4 cup raw hemp seeds/hearts (or sesame or sunflower seeds)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (or to taste)
- 4-5 tbsp fresh lemon juice (approx. 1 lemon or more or less to taste)
- 2 small garlic cloves (or to taste)
- 1/4 Tsp salt or Herbamare
- 1/4 Tsp ground pepper
If you can only find 15 oz/425g cans of beans you can use a little extra from another can, adjust the seasonings down a little, or add 3 oz/85 grams cashews or pine nuts as well.
Directions:
After draining your beans and washing your basil, add all your ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender.
Blend until smooth.
Boil 1 lb/454 grams of your favourite pasta like fusilli, rotini or penne until al dente. You can use whatever kind you prefer, white, wheat, brown rice etc. I used La Molisana Fusilli Bucati Corti a cord shaped style of fusilli and cooked it in salted water for about 10 minutes.
Prep your raw or cooked veggies and sauté until just tender.
Add all your veggies, sauce and pasta to a bowl for raw, or the sauté pan for cooked and stir together.
Variations: For a hot pasta meal sauté and add to the sauce:
1/2 onion, sliced
2 cups of baby spinach
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 zucchini/courgette, sliced
1/2 package of mushrooms, sliced
fresh basil to garnish
For a cold pasta salad stir into the sauce:
1/2 English cucumber, sliced and diced
1 pint/473 grams of cherry tomatoes, whole or sliced
1/2 red bell pepper/capsicum, sliced and diced
1/2 red onion
1 cup fresh shelled green peas/snap peas
1/2 cup small broccoli florets raw or lightly steamed
Additional add ons: For a heartier meal add some cooked brown or green lentils, cubed smoked tofu or seasoned tempeh.
Have you ever made a pasta or salad dressing from white beans before? If so what was it and how did you like it?
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