Vegan Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta
Questa ricetta è disponibile anche in italiano
This recipe for vegan sundried tomato pesto pasta is truly delicious and exemplifies two things that we love about Italian cuisine – simplicity, and bold flavors.
Sundried tomatoes have a wonderfully strong and unique flavor, which is utterly superb on any type of pasta.
The recipe for this red pesto has a Mediterranean spin to it, and we absolutely LOVE making it because it allows you to experience the delight of really great vegan sundried tomato pesto pasta with very little effort – ideal for a quick dinner on a weeknight.
If you wanted to mix this up a little, we’d recommend being quite heavy-handed with the garlic. If there’s one thing that Italian food loves to have in abundance, it’s garlic. So, we’d definitely recommend making sure to add in a few extra cloves if you want a meal with a powerful punch.
If you really want a punch, you could try adding some whole black olives to the sauce – fry them whole in the pesto to give your sauce a powerful, salty, and decadent kick.
How To Make Vegan Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta
First of all, we need to make sure that the sun-dried tomatoes are perfectly pliable enough for us to use them. Place them into a bowl, and pour over some boiling water. Allow the tomatoes to sit in the hot water for fifteen minutes, and this will soften them perfectly.
Next, drain the tomatoes, and squeeze them well to ensure that you remove any additional moisture in them.
Now, add all the ingredients for the pesto to a food processor, and begin to pulse the appliance. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times, and then continue to pulse until you reach a paste consistency.
I actually like to keep tomatoes quite coarse instead of blending into a paste, but this step is completely up to you according to your own taste. As per a traditional pesto, if you need more liquid to blend add more extra virgin olive oil to the mixture until you’re happy with the consistency.
Bring one and a half liters of salted water to a boil, and add the dried pasta. Cook it until it is al dente.
Now, drain the pasta, ensuring that you retain half a cup (120ml) of the cooking water. Add that water to a pan with the sundried tomato pesto sauce. The reason that keeping the cooking water is a good idea is that the starches in the water (which have leached out of the pasta) will serve to make the sauce more cohesive overall.
Coat the pasta well with a spatula, and as much cooking water as you might need to turn the pesto into a creamy sauce. Remember, though – you can always add more water, but you’ll struggle to take it out.
Serve the pasta with fresh oregano, chili flakes, and more vegan grated cheese. These things are all completely optional, but they really do enhance the overall flavor of the dish. Therefore, we’d strongly recommend them!
You can enjoy the vegan sundried tomato pesto pasta straight away, or you could chill it in the fridge for a cold version. That’s ideal for really hot summer months – give it a go if you find yourself overheating!
Vegan Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta
Ingredients:
350 g Pasta (Caserecce)
…for the pesto…
100 g Sun-Dried Tomatoes
20 g Vegan Cheese (grated)
1 tsp Oregano
2 Garlic Cloves
1/2 tbsp Capers
1/2 tsp Chili Flakes
50 g (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Ground Almonds
Method:
1. Place the dried tomatoes in a bowl and pour over some hot/boiling water, and allow to soften for 15 minutes.
2. Drain the tomatoes and squeeze well to remove the extra moisture.
3. Add all the ingredients for the pesto to a food processor and start pulsing. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a few time and continue pulse/blend until you reach a paste consistency.
4. Bring to a boil approx 1.5 liters of salted water and cook the pasta al dente.
5. Drain the pasta making sure to keep ½ cup of cooking water (120ml) and add it to a pan with the sundried tomato pesto sauce.
6. Coat the pasta well with a spatula and add as much cooking water as needed to turn the pesto into a creamy sauce.
7. Serve the pasta with fresh oregano, chili flakes and more vegan grated cheese (all optional). You can enjoy the vegan sun dried tomato pesto pasta straight away or chill it in the fridge for a cold pasta version (recommended for summer months).
For other yummy pasta dishes do not miss:
– Vegan Spinach Pesto Pasta
– Mushroom Tagliatelle Paglia & Fieno
– Creamy Cauliflower and Mushroom Pasta
– Sea Flavoured Courgettes (Zucchini) and Blossom Pasta
– Asparagus, Broccolini, Courgette and Pea Pesto
– Caramelized Onion, Olives and Hummus Pasta
– Oil Free Vegan Alfredo
– Super Easy Green Bean Pasta Bake
– Pasta with Butternut Squash and Smokey Crispy Seaweed
– Vegan Seafood Pasta
– Pasta with Wild Mushrooms and Parsley+Avocado Pesto
– Creamy Courgette and Rocket Pasta (with Homemade Stracchino Cheese)
– Courgette Blossom Pasta
– Creamy Avocado Pasta with Mixed Nuts and Cherries
– Beetroot Tagliatelle with Mushroom Ragù and Parsley&Spinach Pesto