Tender noodles, vegan chicken, creamy cashew cream, and a garlicky, kale pesto sauce combine to make the perfect pasta. It’s bright, light yet filling, healthy, and delicious. Plus, it all comes together in less than 20 minutes! Make it your own by adding whatever other veggies you have on hand or swap the chicken for another plant-based meat alternative. So many options!
What You Need for this Vegan Pesto Pasta
This recipe is fairly easy to make, and you might already have most of the ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- Pasta of choice – Bowties, rotini, penne, or even spaghetti
- Kale
- Basil
- Pine nuts – or sub almonds or walnuts
- Nutritional yeast
- Garlic
- Lemon Juice
- Olive oil
- Sea Salt
- Cashews
- Vegan parmesan (optional)
- Plant-based chicken – We like Tofurky Lightly Seasoned Chicken, Sweet Earth Mindful Chik’n, and Morningstar Farms Chik’n Strips
Options
This pasta is super easy to customize. Mix in various vegetables or swap the plant-based chicken for another vegan meat alternative like spicy Italian sausage. The options are endless!
Veggies:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Spinach or arugula
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Zucchini
- Roasted asparagus
- Sauteed mushrooms
- Red, yellow, or green peppers
Other Proteins:
- Tofurky Sausage
- Beyond Meat Italian Sausage
- Tempeh
- White beans
- More Pine nuts
More Pasta Recipes
The Best Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
8-Ingredient Vegan Hot Italian Sausage Penne
One-Pot Mediterranean Pasta with Tofu Feta
Quick and Easy Vegan Pesto Pasta with Chicken
Ingredients
- 16 Ounces Pasta
- 8 Ounces Plant-Based Chicken
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Kale Pesto
- 2 Large Kale Leaves, Stems Removed
- ¼ Cup Packed Basil
- ¼ Cup Pine Nuts
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 3 Large Garlic Cloves
- 2 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
Cashew Cream
- ½ Cup Cashews
- 1 ¼ Cup Reserved Pasta Water
- ¼ Cup Vegan Parmesan
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package. Drain and set aside, making sure to reserve 1¼ cup of the pasta water.
- Prepare kale pesto while your pasta is cooking. Place kale, basil, and pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times. Add the garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt and pulse several more times, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil.
- Make the cashew cream by blending all ingredients in a high-speed blender until super creamy. If you're not using a high-speed blender, soak the cashews in hot water for at least 20 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the vegan chicken and sauté until browned and heated through. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Add kale pesto, cashew cream, and chicken to pasta and stir to coat. Serve with extra vegan parmesan, cracked black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes!
Nutrition
There’s really no compromise when it comes to vegan cooking. It’s better for us, for the animals, and for our environment, so make this pasta and share it with someone you love – whether they’re vegan or not!
If you make this recipe, let me know! Please leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and be sure to tag me. And, make sure to follow MNVegHead on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Lots of love, Allison
Collette
amazingly Good!!
MN Veg Head
Thank you, Collette!! Glad you enjoyed it!!