Avocado makes this twist on pesto extra rich and vibrantly green.
This pasta is my favorite dish to serve to girlfriends when they come over. It’s simple to make, totally delicious and wonderfully comforting. It’s also full of amazing green veggies, so it will give you lots of goodness. The homemade pesto here is incredible, the brazil nuts and avocado really make it so creamy, while the arugula and lemon add a slightly sharp edge that makes each bite sing with flavor.
Avocado makes this twist on pesto extra rich and vibrantly green.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brazil nuts about 4 ounces
- 1/2 cup pine nuts about 2 ounces
- 1½ avocados
- 2 big handfuls of arugula
- big handful of fresh basil leaves
- juice of 1½ lemons
- ½ cup olive oil plus extra for the veggies
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound brown rice penne pasta
- 2 zucchini
- 1 head of broccoli
- 10 cups peas about 8 ounces
Instructions
- Place the brazil nuts and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse for about a minute until they’re completely crushed. At this point, add the avocado flesh, arugula, basil leaves, lemon juice, olive oil, ½ cup water and the salt and pepper. Blend again until you have a smooth, creamy pesto.
- Next, cook the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks, chop the zucchini into thin slices and the broccoli into bite-size pieces and place together in a frying pan with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Sauté for 5–7 minutes until they’re perfectly cooked.
- While these cook, place the peas into a saucepan of cold water and cook them until the water boils, then drain them.
- Finally, once the pasta has finished cooking and has been drained, toss the pasta together with the pesto, peas and sautéed veggies.
Notes
Try making double the quantity of pesto and keep the other half in the fridge to stir into your next meal. It’s great to liven up your grains and veggies or to use with crudités when you need a snack.
Used with permission from Deliciously Ella: 100+ Easy, Healthy, and Delicious Plant-Based, Gluten-Free Recipes by Ella Woodward, Scribner, 2015. Photography by Clare Winfield.
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