Summer Pasta with Mint Pesto

Pasta with mint pesto the perfect meal for a pre packed lunch, or a quick to make fresh dinner any day. It is vegan and comes together in 30 minutes. It’s pasta tossed in a freshly made herbaceous pesto, along with fresh asparagus, tangy tomatoes and pigeon peas to add heatiness and pops of creaminess. Finished off with some nutty plant based parmesan, it is absolutely heaven on a plate.

What you need to make this pasta with mint pesto

A good quality pasta – you can use any kind. I’ve used radiatore pasta in this recipe. This shape is perfect to hold the pesto into its nooks and crannies delivering deliciousness in each bite.

Homemade fresh mint pesto – the beauty of this entire dish lies in the simplicity and taste of this fantastic mint pesto! Along with mint, are cilantro, serrano peppers, garlic and toasted pine nuts and dairy-free parmesan. Some seriously yummy flavor!

Vegan butter – There are several plant based butters available in the market, A couple of brands that I like are melt butter and miyokos. These are not sponsors, I am just sharing my favorites.

Asparagus – for that light, refreshing crunch

Tomatoes – for some light sweetness and tartness. It pairs perfectly with pesto!

Pigeon peas – I love adding some kind of beans in with pesto pasta, because it adds the perfect texture with little pops of creaminess. Pigeon peas also adds protein and ups the nutrition.

Vegan parmesan cheese – this is optional, but the combination of pesto, pasta and this salty cheese is divine. I highly recommend adding it.

Note:
This pasta with mint pesto recipe is very customizable. Use any pasta you’d like. Use any legumes you like, chickpeas would be great in here! Not a fan of cilantro? sub parsley, or basil for the pesto. No rules, lots of flavor!

How to make this pasta with mint pesto

Prep the pasta first by dropping it in well salted boiling water. Cook per package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, let’s make our mint pesto.

Making Mint Pesto

Toast pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden brown and toasted.
To a food processor/blender, add the toasted pine nuts along with all the other pesto ingredients except olive oil. Pulse/rough chop the ingredients a couple of times.

While the food processor is running, drizzle in the olive oil slowly and continue pulsing, scraping down the sides as needed, until pureed. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for later.

Putting together the Pasta along with our homemade pesto

Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, reserve a cup of the cooking water and drain the rest, and set aside.

Heat a skillet over medium heat & melt butter. Add chopped asparagus, toss and cook for a couple of minutes. Next add pigeon peas, prepared pesto, tomatoes and salt. Toss this all together and continue to simmer over medium heat for 5-6 minutes.

Add reserved pasta water and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes soften. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Toss in cooked pasta and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes, and it’s done!

Sprinkle extra toasted pine nuts, vegan parmesan and red chilli flakes on top and it’s done! Isn’t that easy? I can’t wait for you tro try it!

If you love this recipe, also check out

Easy Vegan Pasta with Garlic and Mushrooms

Delicious Vegan Pesto Pasta with Crispy Mushrooms

Delicious Zhoug Sauce Pasta with Tomato Relish

Amazing Cauliflower Gnocchi in Creamy Basil Sauce

Also follow me on Instagram and Pinterest @supriyaramankitchen

Refreshing Summer Pasta with Mint Pesto

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 2.5/5

( 2 voted )

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Ingredients

Cilantro-Mint Pesto:
2 cups fresh cilantro
1 cup fresh mint
2 serranos (deseed/use 1 for a milder version)
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp plant based parmesan
1 tsp coarse salt
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Pasta:
10 oz pasta of any shape
1 cup pasta cooking water
2 bunches asparagus, ends trimmed, and chopped
1 can (or ~1.5 cups) cooked pigeon peas or any beans you like
2 tbsp plant butter
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cup prepared cilantro-mint pesto
1 tsp coarse salt

Instructions

Cilantro-Mint Pesto:
Toast pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden brown and toasted.
To a food processor/blender, add the toasted pine nuts along with all the other pesto ingredients except olive oil. Pulse/rough chop the ingredients a couple of times. While the food processor is running, drizzle in the olive oil slowly and continue pulsing, scraping down the sides as needed, until pureed. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for later.

Pasta:
Cook pasta per package instructions. Before draining the water, reserve a cup, then drain and set pasta aside.
Heat a skillet over medium heat & melt butter. Add chopped asparagus, toss and cook for a couple of minutes. Next add pigeon peas, prepared pesto, tomatoes and salt. Add reserved pasta water and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes soften.
Toss in cooked pasta and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes.

Sprinkle extra toasted pine nuts, vegan parmesan and red chilli flakes on top and it's done!

Note:
This recipe is very customizable. Use any pasta you'd like. Use any legumes you like, chickpeas would be great in here! Not a fan of cilantro? sub parsley, or basil for the pesto. No rules, lots of flavor!