This vegan asparagus pasta with pistachio pesto is somewhere between a spring dish and a holiday in Italy. The nutty green asparagus harmonises perfectly with the pistachios. Lemon and basil add an almost summery freshness. A little vegan cream cheese provides additional creaminess. The preparation doesn’t take much longer than cooking the pasta al dente. So this dish not only tastes great, but can also be prepared when you need or want something quick. We particularly love that.
Vegan Asparagus Pasta with Pistachio Pesto
Ingredients
- 225 g pasta, e.g. spaghetti
- 250 g green asparagus
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 lemon
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp vegan cream cheese
- salt + pepper
Quick pistachio pesto
- 60 g pistachios, peeled + roasted
- 60 ml olive oil
- 6 leaves basil, more to serve if desired
Preparation
- For the quick pistachio pesto, blend all the ingredients together. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper.
- For the crunch topping, toast the breadcrumbs with a little olive oil in a small pan. Grate the zest of half a lemon and add. Flavour with salt.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente. In the meantime, remove the woody ends from the asparagus and cut into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop the garlic. Sauté the asparagus in a large pan with a good dash of olive oil over a medium to high heat so that it colours slightly. Then add the garlic and reduce the heat to medium. Deglaze with the juice of the whole lemon and a ladle of pasta water and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Drain the al dente pasta and add it with the pistachio pesto to the pan. Remove from the heat and mix everything well. Flavour with salt and pepper.
- Divide the pasta between 2 plates. Serve topped with cream cheese (diluted with a little water if necessary) and sprinkled with crunch topping. Add a little basil if you like.
Song of the recipe:
The Australian band was one of the big newcomers on the indie scene last year. Their Murder On The Dancefloor cover made them the talk of the town. But they have so many more great songs. “You’re so fu*king gorgoeus!”
(Would you like to listen to all the songs for the recipe? Find them collected in one playlist here)
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