Name: 30-Minute One-Pot Pesto Pasta
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth; 8 oz. dry whole wheat penne pasta; ½ cup chopped red onion; ½ cup chopped carrot; 1 recipe Homemade Vegan Pesto or ¾ cup purchased oil-free vegan pesto; 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes; 1 15-oz. can no-salt-added red beans, rinsed and drained (1½ cups); Sea salt, to taste; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Prep-time: 20 minutes / Ready In: 30 minutes
Makes 8 cups
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This hearty pesto pasta recipe gets dinner on the table in half an hour and only uses one pot in the process. An easy Homemade Vegan Pesto is packed full of fresh herbs and cheesy flavor (thanks to nutritional yeast) so the tender penne noodles are coated in a dreamy green sauce. Toss in some red beans, juicy tomatoes, crunchy carrot, and tangy red onion to add extra good-for-you ingredients to this Italian-inspired dish. This recipe also yields a large amount, so make this for meal prep to enjoy throughout the week!

By Nancy Macklin, RDN, Jun 2, 2022

Ingredients

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
8 oz. dry whole wheat penne pasta
½ cup chopped red onion
½ cup chopped carrot
1 recipe Homemade Vegan Pesto or ¾ cup purchased oil-free vegan pesto
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 15-oz. can no-salt-added red beans, rinsed and drained (1½ cups)
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a large pot combine the first four ingredients (through carrot) and ½ cup Homemade Vegan Pesto. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 8 to 12 minutes or until pasta is just tender.
Stir in tomatoes, beans, and the remaining pesto sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

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12 Comments

Comments (12)

(4.5 from 8 votes)

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Anna Gladstone24 hours ago

Any way to help gluten free pasta in this recipe not turn to mush?

Abby1 month ago

Bland and dry

Emmy4 months ago

I would like to try this recipe but I am confused. Do I use 2 cups of water to boil everything till done then do I drain whatever liquid is left before adding the rest of the items?

Terry7 months ago

This recipe is delicious and very easy to make. I loved the pesto recipe as well.
Thanks for clarifying the extra cup of water. It looks just like the picture. Most of all it taste delicious. Will make it again. It will be on my rotation.

Veronica10 months ago

Made this with 16 Oz of pasta instead of 8 (we are a family of 5) and used 4 cups of broth instead of 3. Also I waited to add pesto until after pasta and veggies were done cooking. Everyone in the family loved this recipe and it looked just like the picture My husband even asked me to pack the leftovers for him to bring to work tomorrow!

Tris11 months ago

This recipe was so simple and super delicious to make! I did the recipe exactly as is and I would 100% come back to this. There was no extra cup of water FYI, so I suppose (based off the comments) I made this recipe after the edit 🙂

Sharette12 months ago

Are you supposed to drain the water after the pasta is done — before adding in the tomatoes and beans??

Eileen Turner7 months ago

How many calories. And protein in one serving??

Rebekah Welch12 months ago

Delicious! My husband and I both like this dish and my husband gives it 10 stars. I followed the directions but like the other reviewer, mine looks nothing like the picture. Mine is creamy. By boiling it and then simmering it, it created a creamy pesto sauce, which is delicious.

Courtney Davison11 months ago

Hi Rebekah,

Thanks for the review! Yes, the pasta is meant to be undrained. Because you and another reader mentioned it turning out a bit more liquid-heavy than you anticipated, we revised step 1 of the instructions to omit the 1 cup water.

Thank you again,

Courtney Davison
Editor
Forks Over Knives

Linda Brooks1 year ago

Looks so good

Jessica Sylvester12 months ago

Recipe doesn’t state if you need to drain the pasta or not so I didn’t and the dish looked nothing like the photo. Ended up with a semi watery consistency sauce. In saying that it still tasted pretty good! Added some spinach to the dish at the end. Would definitely make again.

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about the author

Nancy Macklin, RDN

Nancy Macklin has a bachelor of science in dietetics from Iowa State University and a Master of Science in health services administration from the University of Saint Francis. Macklin worked as a hospital-based clinical dietitian, providing counseling for diabetes, heart disease, and weight loss and as a food service director in health care dining sites. She now serves as a test kitchen dietitian, developing 500+ recipes per year. She is a member of the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics and International Association of Culinary Professionals. Find her on LinkedIn.

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