If you're craving a light and fresh summer pasta dish this vegan pesto pasta is for you! The dairy and oil free pesto sauce is made in just a few minutes and can be refrigerated until you're ready to serve. Smoked tofu and sun-dried tomatoes add a huge boost of flavour that I'm sure you will love!
Oil-free and dairy-free pesto sauce
Ready in minutes
Delicious warm or cold
Packed with flavour and freshness!
Ingredients
I first created this vegan pesto pasta to take on a trip to a cottage because I could prepare the sauce in advance and toss everything together later. I set out to make my 10 minute parmesan-free basil pesto but I had to make some swaps... and I ended up loving my swaps!
This vegan pesto pasta sauce is made with:
- 2 cups basil leaves & small stems. I often use some fresh parsley, spinach, arugula, or carrot tops if I don't have enough basil so feel free to toss in what you have on hand.
- ⅓ cup roasted pumpkin seeds.
- Lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic.
- A bit of nutritional yeast to add some "cheesy" flavour and help thicken the sauce.
- And aquafaba (the brine in a can of chickpeas) to make this sauce oil-free! You can use olive oil if you prefer.
You will, of course, need your pasta of choice. I love using penne but really any shape of pasta will work well. You can even make this recipe gluten-free by using spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles!
Method
This vegan pesto pasta could not be easier to make!
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a food processor or blender.
- Blend until smooth and slowly add water as needed to thin the sauce and help it to blend.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Cook your pasta according to your package instructions.
- Toss warm or chilled pasta with the pesto sauce and mix in chopped smoked tofu and sun-dried tomatoes.
I love using smoked tofu in this recipe because it doesn't require any prep work and is a delicious protein source. If you don't have access to smoked tofu however, here are some ideas for substitutions:
- Crumble in my tofu feta
- Quickly grill some regular tofu like I do for my vegan caesar wraps & chop it up
- Chop up my crispy tempeh bacon
- Or even add in a bean like my crispy roasted chickpeas!
Sun-dried tomatoes add great salty, savoury flavour with a hint of sweetness. Feel free to substitute them with fresh grape tomatoes or even something like capers or olives for that salty hit!
Recipe Cost
This recipe serves 4 - 6 and costs me just under $12 Canadian. The pesto sauce makes up just $4 of that cost and the majority of the remaining cost comes from the smoked tofu.
As mentioned above, you can absolutely use whatever greens you have on hand to build the base of your pesto. If you don't have pumpkin seeds on hand you can use whichever nuts or seeds you do have. Finally, using aquafaba instead of olive oil not only makes this sauce oil-free... it also cuts down on your cost.
Let me know in the comments below how you like this vegan pesto pasta and if you make any substitutions you love. Make a double batch of the pesto while you're at it and have a vegan pesto pizza night too!
Print
Vegan Pesto Pasta with Smoked Tofu
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 4 - 6 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan pesto pasta makes the perfect summer pasta dish. Light, fresh & full of flavour. The oil & dairy-free pesto is ready in minutes!
Ingredients
The Pesto Sauce:
- 2 cups basil leaves &; thin stems, tightly packed (40 g)*
- ⅓ cup roasted pumpkin seeds (can use another roasted nut or seed)
- 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3 tbsp aquafaba (can use olive oil)
- 4 - 5 tablespoon water (as needed to blend)
All The Rest:
- 500 g penne pasta
- 180 g smoked tofu, diced* (or try my tofu feta or tempeh bacon)
- 75 g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (½ cup, can use dry-packed for an oil-free option)
Optional Toppings:
- Sprouts
- Pumpkin seeds
*Fresh ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
*If you don’t have enough basil I often add in some parsley, spinach, arugula/rocket, or even carrot tops. Feel free to get creative and use what you have on hand.
- Add all of the pesto sauce ingredients, other than the water, to a food processor or blender. Pulse to combine and slowly add water as needed to thin the sauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Cook your pasta according to your package instructions. Cool if desired for a chilled pasta.
- When ready to serve, toss with pesto sauce, diced smoked tofu, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Garnish with fresh sprouts, pumpkin seeds or even something like my tofu feta!
Notes
Approximate Cost: $11.86 Canadian. The pesto sauce recipe makes 200 ml of pesto and costs me $4.03. The smoked tofu makes up the majority of the remaining cost so feel free to substitute with grilled tofu, tempeh bacon, tofu feta, or even something like roasted chickpeas!
Sun-dried tomatoes add great salty, savoury flavour with a hint of sweetness. Feel free to substitute them with fresh grape tomatoes or even something like capers or olives for that salty hit!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Various
- Cuisine: Italian Inspired
Gabriel
This one’s a keeper! The perfect summer pasta dish. I used fresh basil and parsley from my herb garden for the pesto and then tossed in some fresh from the garden grilled zucchini. You’ve done it again. Deeeeelicious
Kathryn Alexandre
Thank you! I'm so glad you loved it and the addition of zucchini is perfect! Thank you so much for trying it and letting me know it was a hit!