Walnut Pesto Pasta

This pasta is packed with nutrients and guilt-free ingredients! It’s so flavorful and something anyone can enjoy (even non-vegans). I’ll be bringing this to potlucks throughout the month of December and can’t wait to see my friends reactions because it is so savory and delicious! All made from PLANTS! Use organic ingredients whenever you can.

Ingredients:

For the pasta:

• 1 package penne pasta

Toppings to add in at the very end:

• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (not the kind in oil), chopped or whole you choose :)

• 2-3 handfuls spinach leaves

For the walnut pesto (makes about 1 cup)

• 2-3 handfuls fresh basil leaves (stems removed)

• 1 TB nutritional yeast flakes

• 1/4 cup raw unsalted walnuts

• 1 garlic clove

• juice of 1/2 a lemon

• extra virgin olive oil (to blend)

• pink salt (to taste)

Coconut Bacun recipe here

Prep Steps:

1. Cook pasta according to packaging instructions, set aside.

2. Bake the coconut bacun - be careful to keep a close eye on this while it’s baking so that you don’t burn it!

3. Prepare walnut pesto by adding all ingredients to your high-speed blender except the olive oil. Blend on high until well combined, then slowly add drizzles of olive oil until pesto is smooth. You may need to keep pushing down the sides with a rubber spatula for a while until your pesto is ready.

4. Once everything is ready, add it all together into a nice skillet with a little extra olive oil to soften it up and stir to combine. Once the pasta is nicely coated in the pesto and coco bacun is stirred in, make sure everything is hot and then turn off the stovetop burner. Add in the spinach and keep stirring until its nice and wilted. Top with chopped sun dried tomatoes and dig in!!