Vegan Nut-Free Pesto Pasta Salad
A fresh flavour-packed vegan pasta salad with a nut-free, dairy-free pesto, roasted sweet potato, peas and sun-dried tomato.
Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- 400 g dry pasta e.g. spirals, boiled in salted water
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed
- Olive oil salt and pepper (for roasting sweet potato)
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained
- 1½ cups green peas from frozen (thawed or briefly boiled)
Pesto
- 2 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup pepita seeds
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cups packed basil leaves approx. 1 large bunch
- 60 g baby spinach leaves washed
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Toss sweet potato cubes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a lined baking tray and roast for 30 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
- While the sweet potato is roasting, cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
- In a food processor, blend together the garlic, pepitas, lemon juice, basil, spinach, salt, and olive oil until a smooth pesto forms. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the pesto to the cooled pasta and mix until well coated. Fold in the peas, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted sweet potato.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days. This salad makes a delicious stand-alone vegan meal or can be served as a side with grilled proteins.
