This Grilled Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad is the perfect side dish for your next vegan BBQ. Homemade vegan pesto, crisp asparagus and chilled pasta!
The first official day of summer is almost here, and you better believe that I have plenty of yummy vegan BBQ recipes coming your way.
We're kicking the summer off with this Grilled Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad! It is super simple and packed with so much flavor.
How to make vegan pesto
The first thing you want to do is whip up your vegan pesto. Vegan pesto is simple and delicious. Round up your ingredients - basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper.
Add it all to a food processor and blend until you have your desired consistency. You can add less oil for a more chunky pesto, or more oil for a more saucy pesto. Both options are delicious and will work perfectly for this recipe.
You can also check out some of my other pesto recipes:
How to assemble Grilled Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad
Add chilled pasta, grilled asparagus (you can grill it on an indoor griddle or outdoor grill), pesto, red onion and vegan mayo to a large bowl. Toss everything to combine and place it in the fridge to cool for at least 30 minutes.
When you are ready to serve, top the salad off with more basil, pine nuts and pepper.
That's it. A super simple pasta salad, that everyone will love!
Grilled Asparagus Pasta Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE VEGAN PESTO
- 2 cups basil
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1-2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 lemon juiced
- salt & pepper to taste
- ¼-1/2 cup olive oil depending on the consistency you want
FOR THE PASTA SALAD
- ¾ lb pasta I used bowtie
- 8-10 stalks asparagus hard ends removed
- olive oil spray
- salt & pepper to taste
- ½ red onion diced
- 2 tablespoon vegan mayo
- fresh basil, pine nuts, pepper for serving
Instructions
- Add all of the pesto ingredients (except for the olive oil) to a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. Scrape down the sides and replace the lid. Slowly add olive oil until your desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside until ready to use.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Heat an indoor griddle (or outdoor grill) to medium heat. Spray with olive oil then add asparagus directly to the pan (or grill). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until charred and slightly tender. Remove from the pan and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large bowl, combine pasta, pesto, asparagus, red onion, vegan mayo and some additional fresh basil. Toss to coat evenly and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- When you are ready to serve, add additional basil, pine nuts and pepper to the salad. If the salad seems too dry you can also add a drizzle of olive oil.
Video
Nutrition
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If you make this recipe be sure to snap a photo + post it + and tag #thissavoryvegan and @thissavoryvegan!
brooke
so very good… i added tomatoes and a little bit of balsamic vinegar and it was heavenly