Have you ever make a meal out of what you have in your pantry and refrigerator? That happens to me all the time. Actually, that is how I usually decide what to make for my dinner or lunch. It helps exercise my creativity by coming up with something out of what I have and sometime I even surprised myself. hahaha Yesterday, I wanted to fixed something really quick for lunch and started to search my pantry. I have leftover sun dried tomato and wanted to do something with it before it goes bad. Tomato based sauce and pasta seemed to be a good combination (I thought) and nothing is quicker than pasta, right? I am not going to make tomato sauce though, it takes a lot more time.(I will do tomato sauce in future post) This post is about quick meal so Instead, I decided to do pesto sauce.
Pesto is an italian sauce that traditional contains garlic, basil, pine nut, olive oil and cheese and the rooted word means to pond, to crash. I have fresh basil in my pot garden and olive oil in my pantry. I do not have pine nuts on hand but it was not a problem. The idea is to give a creamy nutty taste sauce so cashew nuts will do. Since this is a vegan recipe I will not use any cheese but I have a quick vegan parmesan recipe for you to sprinkle on top. It will be delicious with or without it. So here you go!
Sun dried tomato pesto Pasta
Yield : about 1 1/4 cup of pesto sauce
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients
3/4 cup raw cashew
3/4 cup sun dried tomato
1 cup of fresh basil
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 tsp of salt
clove of garlic
A Dash of Love
Vegan Pasta ( I used Barilla Campanelle)
vegetable of your choices (optional, I used sugar snap pea in the photo)
Quick Parmesan Cheese
4 tbsp of Nutritional Yeast (give a cheesy taste)
1/4 cup Raw Almond/Cashew
1 tsp of garlic power
Pinch of Salt
*Blend/grind all ingredients together. Keep in air tight container. Sprinkle on pasta, pizza or salad.
Instruction
- Soak raw cashew and sun dried tomato for an hour ( or 15 mins if you are very hungry 😉 The idea is to soften nuts and tomato for easier blend.
- Combine the basil, garlic, tomato and nuts in a food processor (blender or mortar and pestle ) and pulse until coarsely chopped.
- Add the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt.
- In a large pot, cook your pasta according to package instruction until pasta is al dente
- Add the pesto mixture to the pasta and then add vegetable of your choices ( if using)
- Sprinkle on top with quick vegan parmesan cheese or enjoy it without.
Pesto can also be used for spread, dipping or on toast. Keep leftover sauce in the refrigerator. It should be good for a few day. Bon Appetit ! Hope you enjoy it.
A Dash of Love Recipes 