- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Serves 4
- Serving size: ¼ of recipe
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Chickpeas give this vegan pesto recipe a lovely creaminess. If you can use homemade almond milk, which doesn’t take long to make, all the better. Tossed with whole-grain penne, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes, it makes a satisfying, colorful meal.
By Del Sroufe,
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried penne pasta
- 2 cups 1-inch broccoli florets
- 1½ cups packed with fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup water
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- Crushed red pepper, to taste (optional)
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan cook broccoli in a small amount of boiling water 5 minutes or until tender; drain.
- In a blender combine basil, ½ cup of the water, and the garlic. Cover and blend until finely chopped.
- In a large saucepan mash garbanzo beans with a potato masher, leaving some beans intact. Add milk and the remaining ½ cup water. Bring to boiling. Stir in basil mixture, tomatoes, and, if desired, crushed red pepper. Reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes or until tomatoes are slightly softened.
- Stir in cooked pasta and broccoli. Cook over medium-low 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Season with salt and black pepper.
Nutritional Information:
Per serving (¼ of recipe): 339 calories, 62 g carbohydrates, 15 g protein, 3.9 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 260 mg sodium, 8.4 g fiber, 6.1 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
Comments (7)
(4 from 7 votes)Terrible. Somehow less flavorful than the ingredients that went into it, super watery and gross. Also who makes pesto with almond milk instead of oil (which is already vegan and doesn't need to be substituted)? Do not recommend at all.
In the comments below it was mentioned to add more veges. I added 1 x carrot, sliced, mushrooms quartered, approx 1 cup; roasted the tomatoes and the juice from roasting and approx 1 cup of roasted Brussel sprouts. Still needs salt 🤷🏼♀️
Wonderful flavors in the pesto! I added more veggies, besides broccoli - everyone enjoyed!!
This was an easy dish. My kids also liked it (without salt) and we put extra salt and pepper otherwise it was a bit tasteless. one plate and even my fitness husband was full!
Fabulous! Definitely needs the salt. I would double the broccoli . Very hearty!
Awful!
It was pretty good just almost seems like it needs a creme sauce to it