”Call me crazy but I never liked store bought pesto”
If you are looking for a weeknight dinner packed with greens and high in protein look no further.
This dish has a homemade creamy pesto sauce infused with spinach to give it a healthy dose of greens and is loaded with protein from two types beans. The fresh pesto paired with the toasted pine nuts and chickpeas are a perfect match. The flavors complement each other perfectly!
The first time I made this for my wife she immediately shouted “This $**+ is so good!”
This recipe is a great option when you need a break from the traditional and I know if you make it you will like it as much as she did!
Yield: 4 Servings
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For sauce:
1 medium onion diced
2 cups blanched spinach
2 sprigs of fresh basil
4 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 can white beans
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pasta:
1 pound spaghetti
Topping:
1 can chickpeas
1/2 cup pine nuts
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add spinach. Remove once wilted and add to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking process. Remove from water once cooled.
In the bowl of a food processor or blender combine all the ingredients for the sauce except for the onion and blend until smooth.
Add onion to a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil cook on medium heat until caramelized.
Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook until al dente.
While pasta is cooking, get 2 pans and add a tablespoon of olive oil to each. In one pan add pine nuts and the other add chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium to medium high heat until toasted. Set aside.
Bring sauce to a simmer over medium heat and add to pasta.
Plate by putting pasta in a dish and topping with toasted pine nuts and chickpeas.
Note: This dish calls for spaghetti but substitute and pasta shape you would like
Note: Coconut milk could be substituted with a different plant based milk but it will not be as creamy.
