Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Pasta
Author -Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup water (240ml)
- 5 oz sun-dried tomato halves, not packed in oil (140g)
- 1/4 cup raw or roasted cashews (substitute pine nuts) (35g)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (20g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup packed basil leaves (8g)
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (120ml)
- 1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 12 oz pasta of choice (360g)
- cashew parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring the water to boil in a small saucepan or heat it for about 2 minutes in the microwave. Pour the hot water over the sun-dried tomato halves. Allow them to soak until tender (15-60 minutes). Reserve 1/4 cup/60ml of the soaking water, then drain the tomatoes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Place the soaked tomato halves, cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, basil, oil, and 2 tablespoons of the reserved tomato soaking water in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S blade. Process for a minute. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Continue processing for another 2 minutes, or until you have a thick, evenly mixed pesto sauce. If the sauce seems too thick to you, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of tomato soaking water. Add red wine vinegar and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- When the pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of the salted pasta water. Drain the pasta. Add the pasta back to the pot and add the pesto. Mix well, adding a few splashes of hot pasta water as you go to help make everything smooth and saucey. It'll seem as though there's a lot of sauce at first, but as you mix, the sauce will be absorbed and find its way into the crevices of the pasta.
- Top with vegan parmesan, if desired. Serve or store.