Primavera Pesto Pasta Salad
This intensely flavorful cashew and arugula pesto tastes so good you won't believe it's vegan. It has roasted cauliflower, fresh tomatoes, corn, tangy olives and sweet bell peppers. This is the perfect Spring or Summer meal.
Ingredients
Pesto
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup cashews
- 1 lemon
- 8 oz arugula
- 4 oz basil
- ½ tsp salt
Pasta Salad
- 1 pound rotini
- 1 head purple cauliflower chopped
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 cup frozen corn use fire roasted if you can
- ¼ cup kalamata olives sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 3 baby bell peppers or 1 large chopped small
- 3 tbsp parsley
- black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste
- ¼ cup cashews, ground to dust in a blender
Instructions
Pasta Salad
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add cauliflower florets, olive oil and a pinch of salt to a sheet pan and toss. Roast for 20 minutes, turning once halfway. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the box. Rinse with cool water and set aside to drain fully. Toss with a splash of olive oil to prevent sticking and let cool until ready to use.
- Make pesto by combining arugula, basil, olive oil, cashews, salt, lemon and olive oil in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Defrost corn in a microwave safe bowl or add to the sheet pan with the cauliflower for the last 5 minutes of cook time.
- Add pasta, cauliflower, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, parsley and pesto to a large bowl and toss well.
- Garnish with dusted cashews or vegan parmesan, parsley and copious pepper.
Nutrition
Calories: 545kcalCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 18gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gSodium: 334mgPotassium: 964mgFiber: 8gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2649IUVitamin C: 93mgCalcium: 154mgIron: 4mg
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