Both savory and healthy this Vegan Shaved Asparagus Pesto Pasta is the ultimate spring dinner and only takes 20 minutes to put together.
The warmer months are right around the corner and one of my favorite spring/summer vegetable staples is asparagus.
Roast it. Grill it. Or shave it and put it in a delicious pasta.
Asparagus can do no wrong - well other than it making your pee a little stinky. But because it tastes so good we'll overlook that.
This pasta dish is light, healthy and comforting all at once. And as you know I love a pesto dish (Pesto Pizza, Pesto Gnocchi, White Bean Pesto Crostini) so this is right up my alley. And of course I had to bring you a new pesto variation.
We've done cashew pesto, traditional pine nut pesto and this time around we're using an almond pesto. Which I'm pretty obsessed with.
And if you've never shaved asparagus. Don't be afraid - it sounds fancy but it is super easy. You have a potato peeler? Then you can shave some asparagus.
Serve this as a stand alone meal or as a side dish at your next dinner party. It is sure to be a hit!
*The vegan parmesan I use is GoVeggie - I buy mine at Whole Foods (and my Ralph's just started selling it too! Yay!), or you can get it online here.
More of a visual person? Check out the video:
Vegan Shaved Asparagus Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
FOR THE PESTO
- 2 cups fresh basil packed
- ½ cup whole or sliced almonds unsalted
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan
- ½ lemon juiced
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ - ½ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE PASTA
- 8 oz fettuccine dry
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves diced
- 8 stalks asparagus shaved*
- ½ lemon juiced
- ⅛ cup vegan parmesan plus more for topping
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional Toppings: fresh basil red pepper flakes, almond slices
Instructions
- FOR THE PESTO: Add the basil, almonds, parmesan, lemon juice and garlic to a food processor. Blend on high until ingredients are diced and combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Turn the food processor on low and drizzle in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- FOR THE PASTA: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Before draining reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
- TO PREPARE: Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat - add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add shaved asparagus, lemon juice and vegan parmesan to the pan and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until asparagus is tender. Add pasta and pesto (to taste) and stir to combine. Slowly add pasta water to the pan until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, if needed. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
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If you make this recipe be sure to snap a photo + post it + and tag #thissavoryvegan and @thissavoryvegan!
Monique
This was GREAT!!!! I have not transformed to a Vegan yet because my love of cheese. I have not found a vegan cheese that I love yet. The only thing I did differently was used real Parmesan cheese. Yeah I know I'm working on that. Just so you know, you have been a life saver for my transformation.
Rene
Woo who! So glad you liked it! Vegan cheese is slowly but surely getting better - but we've still got a long way to go. One of the only vegan cheeses I like is actually parmesan. I use the GoVeggie brand (you can find it on my "Shop" page).