HEALTHY 15 MINUTE PASTA WITH GREEN PESTO (VEGAN, GF)

This creamy, crunchy & protein rich edamame fettucine is a great healthy vegan pasta recipe for any day of the week. You’re just a handful of ingredients and 15 minutes away from a lip-smackingly delicious meal. Vegan & gluten free.

In an ideal world, we probably all want to spend a bit of time in the kitchen lovingly preparing a delicious meal, whether it is just for yourself, the whole family or someone you’re trying to impress with your super duper cooking skills… In real life, who has this kind of time??! If you do, I’m secretly jealous of you, as all I seem to be doing recently is juggling a million things at once. Cooking is one of them…

So, if you’re short of time and in need of a quick fix yet nutritious meal – this 15 minute pasta dish is right up your street. It only required a few ingredients, which you’ll probably have to hand anyway, so it’s a real winner.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS HEALTHY PASTA

• Super quick & easy to make, regardless of your cooking skills level
• Requires just a few ingredients
• Rich in protein & healthy fats, which makes it a great post-workout meal
• Much lighter than traditional pasta recipes
• Gluten free
• Creamy
• Full of flavour

RECIPE ALTERNATIVES AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Before I get down to the actual recipe, just a few notes on alternatives and variations on this quick and east pasta dish.

I’d really recommend using cherry tomatoes on the vine for this recipe – they have so much more flavour and because this recipe only uses a few basic ingredients, flavour is paramount for this pasta dish (just like it is for every other dish, I know!)

To make this pasta lighter than traditional carbs heavy pasta and also rich in plant protein, I used edamame fettuccine (which is also gluten free). You only need to cook it for 2 minutes in boiling water, hence it’s a great time saver. However, you’re very welcome to substitute edamame fettuccine for your favourite pasta or spaghetti, just bear in mind it might take a little longer to cook, depending on the variety you choose.

And last but not least, I chose to add avocado to my green pesto to make it a little creamier and to add healthy fats to this dish. I must note here that when I cut into my avocado, it wasn’t as ripe as I would have liked it to be. Avocados can be fussy little things! So, if you’re lucky with your perfectly ripe avocado – your pesto will turn out even creamer than mine!

I chose to sprinkle my pasta with toasted pine nuts as they go so well with basil but toasted almond flakes (or any other nuts for this matter) would go well too. They all add an extra crunchy texture to this delicious healthy pasta dish.

LOOKING FOR MORE HEALTHY VEGAN RECIPES?

Try some of my readers’ favourite recipes below:

• The all time family favourite vegan shepherd’s pie
• The best creamy vegan mushroom stroganoff
• Healthier vegan mac & cheese with butternut squash
• Quick & easy vegan sticky aubergine
• Easy butternut squash & chickpea stew
• Family favourite vegan chili

I hope you’ll get a chance to recreate this easy, nutritious, creamy & crunchy healthy vegan pasta. If you do, I’d be delighted to read your comments and hear your feedback. Be sure to drop a comment here on the blog, tag me in your photos on Instagram @Fit Foodie Nutter, Facebook or Pinterest so I don’t miss them.

Bon appetite!

Healthfully yours,

Tania x

Healthy 15 minute pasta with green pesto (Vegan, GF)

Tania Pilcher | Fit Foodie Nutter

This creamy, crunchy & protein rich edamame fettucine is a great healthy vegan pasta recipe for any day of the week. You’re just a handful of ingredients and 15 minutes away from a lip-smackingly delicious meal. Vegan & gluten free.

5 from 6 votes

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Cook Time 15 mins

Course Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine British

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the pasta:

• Edamame fettuccine , 2 portions (or any other pasta of your choice)
• 300 g cherry tomatoes on the vine
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

For the pesto:

• ½ ripe avocado
• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• A handful of spinach
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• Zest of ½ lemon
• 1.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Toasted pine nuts for garnish

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 200C (fan).
• Cook pasta according to the cooking instructions. When the pasta is ready, drain, run under the cold water to stop it from cooking further and toss in a little glug of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Set aside.
• In the meantime, place cherry tomatoes on a roasting dish, drizzle with 1tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper and roast in the oven for 8-10mins or until the tomatoes have turned slightly brown. Set aside.
• To prepare the pesto, pulse all pesto ingredients in a food processor until you reach the desired consistency. I prefer mine a little chunky, so it still has a little crunch to it.
• To warm up the pasta, boil the kettle, place the pasta into a sieve and pour boiling water over the sieve with pasta. Drain well. Place the pasta in a mixing bowl, stir in the pesto and add roasted tomatoes. Mix gently to ensure the pasta is well coated in the pesto. Add additional salt & pepper at this stage, if required. Transfer into a serving bowl, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and basil leaves.

Making this? I’d love to see!Tag your snaps @Fit.Foodie.Nutter and #fitfoodienutter