Dairy-free Pesto Cream Pasta
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
For a pretty finish, you can garnish this dish with a basket of cherry tomatoes, halved, and a couple tablespoons of toasted pine nuts.
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 (16-ounce) package uncooked pasta (gluten-free, if needed)
Vegan Pesto
  • 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
Dairy-Free Cream Sauce
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour or white rice flour (for gluten-free)
  • ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage (see Milk Beverage Note below)
  • ⅓ cup chicken broth or vegetable (for vegan)
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Vegan Pesto
  1. Add the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt to your food processor. Pulse the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor as needed, until relatively smooth.
Dairy-Free Cream Sauce
  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the olive oil, flour, salt, and pepper for about 2 minutes.
  2. Remove the saucepan from the heat. While whisking constantly, add the dairy-free milk a little at a time until incorporated.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Return the saucepan to the heat. Slowly whisk in the broth. Simmer (do not boil) until the sauce thickens slightly, about 6 minutes, stirring often.
  4. Add the pesto mixture to the saucepan, and whisk until thoroughly combined and heated through. Taste, and add seasonings, if needed.
  5. Gently toss the cooked pasta and sauce together.
Notes
Milk Beverage Note: This recipe was originally created with rice milk, but it will work with your favorite unsweetened milk beverage of choice. Just keep the flavor profile in mind. Each type of milk beverage will lend it's own unique flavor to this delicate dish.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ⅙ recipe Calories: 503 Fat: 33.1g Saturated fat: 4.2g Carbohydrates: 44g Sugar: .5g Sodium: 654mg Fiber: .6g Protein: 10.6g
Recipe by Go Dairy Free at https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/dairy-free-pesto-cream-pasta