When I was younger, I could eat as much dairy as I wanted. Now that I’m over 40, it seems like I can only eat a little bit at a time. Whenever I eat a lot, my stomach gurgles and feels bloated so it’s easier to eat it in lesser quantities to save myself the trouble. Plus finding recipes without it makes it a lot easier too, like this Dairy-free Pesto Pasta. It uses soaked cashews instead of milk, which I think is so clever, and it still gets that creamy taste. It’s then put over a Brown Rice Pasta (I like Explore Cuisine Brown Rice Fusilli) to make a delicious pasta dinner. It’s the perfect dish for the chilly nights among us and it satisfies the family too!
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil
- 1 cup cashews (soaked overnight, or at least 4 hours, and drained)*
- 1/4 tsp pink salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil (or more, depending on the consistency you want)
- 1-2 cups of baby spinach or mesclun greens (optional)
- 1 package Explore Cuisine Brown Rice Fusilli
- 1-2 cups frozen peas
- Bring water to a boil.
- Add in Explore Cuisine Brown Rice Fusilli.
- Cook for 8-9 minutes.
- About 4-5 minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add in the frozen peas to cook at the same time.
- Then, drain pasta and peas and put in a bowl.
- Put garlic in Vitamix, blender, or food processor and pulse until chopped.
- Add basil, and pulse again until it is broken down into small pieces.
- Add cashews and salt, and process on low (1-2 on a Vitamix) so that the cashews are broken into tiny pieces, but still maintain a little texture.
- Finally, with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until completely combined.
- Spoon the pesto over the pasta and peas, and mix well before serving.
- Add salt and pepper as needed to taste.
- Enjoy!
- *If using cashews that haven't been soaked, you may want to process on a higher level to get a creamier consistency.
Looking for better pasta products? Take a look at Explore Cuisine pastas.
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