15-Minute Meal – Tomato Pesto Pasta (Vegan)

Name: 15-Minute Meal – Tomato Pesto Pasta (Vegan)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: French/Italian
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes,; 2 tbsp Cashews, soaked; 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil,; 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast,; 2 clove Garlic, peeled; 15 g Fresh Basil Leaves, (or 18-20 leaves); 3 tbsp Tomato Paste,; 1 tbsp Lemon Juice,; 1/4 to 1/2 cup Oat Milk (or any plant-based milk), just enough to blend well; Salt, to taste; 1 cup Pasta, any kind; Water, to boil pasta; 4 to 6 clove Garlic, diced; 4 to 5 Broccoli Florets, roughly cut; 4 to 5 Cherry Tomatoes, halved; 1/2 cup Zucchini, cut into half moons; 1 to 2 tbsp Olive Oil,; Salt, to taste

Light, creamy and delicious – Tomato Pesto Pasta. It is made with my flavourful and highly addictive tomato pesto. This meal is very quick and easy to make and gets ready in just 15 minutes. That means you don’t need to spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing a party meal at home. Yes! This recipe feels like a party on a weekday.

Make it over lunch, brunch, or dinner. Throw in some veggies for some extra nutrition and crunch.

Story Time

We both love pasta and Jatin is a fan of basil pesto pasta. He loves it a lot. He makes it the traditional way – using a mortar pestle. He believes that you can’t get that same flavor and aroma in a mixer grinder. That’s true.

So, a long time back, on a random day, I saw a big jar of sun-dried tomatoes in our refrigerator. We had that jar for a long time and since sun-dried tomatoes taste so good, I thought what if I make a pesto out of it. Trust me, I did not see that recipe anywhere. But then I forgot about it. Last year when we moved to Munich, Germany, I saw tomato pesto on the aisles of supermarkets here. It reminded me that I also wanted to try it at home. Finally, I did that and it turned out just how I imagined it to be. Wao! It is quite addictive that I finished it with bread, and crackers, and even made sandwiches from it. You must give it a try. It has that umami flavor of sun-dried tomatoes and the creaminess of cashews. The flavor of basil and a slight hint of garlic will make you dream about it for days.

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Easy Swaps

Tomato Paste: Although, it adds a unique flavor and color to the pesto. But if you can’t find it, then increase the quantity of sun-dried tomatoes by 1/3 Cup in the recipe.
Pasta: Use any pasta of choice and boil them as per the packet instructions.
Veggies: Add any vegetable like mushrooms, bell peppers, celery, aubergine, onion, tomatoes, etc.

Is this recipe Vegan?

Yes. This tomato pesto pasta recipe is totally plant-based and vegan. It doesn’t have any cheese to it. Instead of cheese, I added cashew and nutritional yeast to the pesto recipe. These ingredients make the pesto creamy and cheesy.

More vegan recipes on the website: Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Muffins, Vegan Dum Biryani, Kung Pao Tofu.

How to cook Pasta?

Pasta is easy to cook but if you won’t pay attention then it is very easy to ruin it. Overcooking makes it soggy and mushy and it doesn’t taste good. Follow the below-mentioned tips to cook pasta just perfectly:

Cook it as per the packet instructions.
Take a large pan to boil pasta. Small pans overcrowd the pasta and make them sticky and mushy.
Add ONLY SALT in water to boil pasta. NO OIL is needed.
Add pasta only when water starts to boil.
Keep stirring in between to prevent them from sticking with each other.
Pasta takes around 10 – 12 minutes to cook. Keep an eye and take a bite of it to see if they are cooked. Boil only until they are just cooked. Then remove from the flame and drain off the water.

How to store Tomato Pesto?

You can make a big batch of tomato pesto and refrigerate it for up to 7 to 10 days.

If you want to store it for a longer time, then put it in the freezer. It can last for more than a month. Whenever you want to make a tomato pesto pasta recipe, take out the pesto from the freezer well in advance to thaw well, or else, put the jar in hot water and de-freeze the pesto.

How to use Tomato Pesto?

You can use homemade tomato pesto to make pasta, salads, and sandwiches, or you can even eat it as a dip with crackers or bread. It tastes very good with soft and moist ladi pav (dinner rolls or milk bread).

More recipes to try

Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this Italian treat at home. It is perfect for lunch, brunch, or dinner. If you try this recipe & like it too, please share the photo of your creation on Instagram and tag us @thefearlesscooking. We just love to see your recreation of our recipes.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Love from us

Richa & Jatin