Vegetarian Pesto Pasta with Spring Vegetables
A lovely springtime asparagus pasta where the asparagus gets shaved so thin it blends right in with the spaghetti! Plus artichoke hearts, and punchy basil-almond pesto sauce. Easily vegan adaptable!
Print
Pin
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Pesto
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole almonds toasted
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, about 3 ounces basil leaves
- 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
For the Pasta
- 1 pound asparagus, tough ends removed
- 1 pound linguine or spaghetti
- 1 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions
For the pesto:
- Place the 2/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup almonds, 2 cloves garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment or a high-speed blender and process until finely ground and almost a paste.
- Add 2 cups basil and 1/2 cup parsley and continue blending until really smooth and creamy. Scrape into a bowl and taste. Stir in more salt as needed.
For the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, shave each asparagus spear lengthwise into thin strips. Once you get to the tip, stop and place that into the pile with the shavings.
- Cook pasta in the boiling water according to package instructions. When pasta only has about a minute left, add asparagus. Cook one minute more, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
- Return pot to stove over low heat. Add pesto, artichoke hearts, pasta-asparagus mixture, and the pasta water. Toss with tongs until pasta is coated in pesto. Season with salt as needed and toss again. Remove from heat and serve with Parmesan if desired.
Notes
- Almond Alternatives: If you don't have almonds, toasted walnuts, pine nuts, or even shelled sunflower seeds work beautifully in this pesto for that same nutty crunch.
- Keep it Green: To prevent your pesto from turning brown, wait to blend the basil and parsley until the very last second, or add a tiny squeeze of lemon juice to act as a natural preservative. If you are making the pesto in advance you can cover the top with a layer of olive oil before covering and refrigerating to keep it green.
- Vegan Adaptaion: To make this fully vegan, simply skip the Parmesan and stir in a tablespoon of nutritional yeast for that same salty, "cheesy" depth of flavor.
- Shaving asparagus: When peeling the asparagus, don’t worry about shaving the delicate tips—just snap them off and toss them in whole with the ribbons for a nice pop of texture.