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A bowl of red pesto pasta with a fork, topped with basil.

Easy Red Pesto Pasta

5 from 1 vote
Course: Lunch/ Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Sun dried tomato pesto pasta
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 689kcal
Flavorful sun-dried pesto with fusilli pasta.
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Ingredients  

  • 10 ounces whole-grain fusilli pasta or gluten-free pasta
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 garlic clove
  • a handful of fresh basil
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook al dente, following the package directions. 
  • While pasta is cooking start making pesto sauce. In a dry skillet, without oil, place pine nuts and toast over medium heat. Stir often until golden brown for a few minutes, about 2-3 minutes. Make sure not to burn them. Nuts can easily burn.
  • Add toasted nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil to a food processor or a high-speed blender and blend until smooth with pesto-like consistency. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
  • Drain cooked pasta before adding it to a pot you cooked it in, or a large serving bowl. Add your pesto and toss until it´s well combined. 
  • Serve with additional fresh basil and nutrition yeast (or vegan parmesan) or topped with pepper flakes. 

Notes

To maximize the flavor of this dish, don't forget to toast your pine nuts. It needs just a few minutes in a hot pan until they're golden brown and aromatic!
Adjust the taste by adding more basil if needed, and also adding salt and black pepper to taste.
Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. They're soft and make creamier pesto. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of recipe | Calories: 689kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 1160mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 4mg
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