Spinach and Parsley Pesto Pasta

So last night I was in the mood for pesto pasta and was going to remake my Jalapeño Arugula Pesto Pasta dish, but I ran out of basil. So I said to myself, what could I possibly use to mimic the deep green color of pesto? I grabbed fresh spinach and fresh parsley out of the fridge and got to work. I ended up with a flavorsome and creamy "Spinach and Parsley Pesto Pasta". I added onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes to add the extra kick of flavor it needed and let me tell you, this dish hits the right spot.

It's a great way to enjoy pesto without having to worry about the dairy! It was so easy to make and you can incorporate this into your daily lives so well because it takes only 25 minutes to make. So, if you're bored of your everyday pesto recipe, give this one a try. Let's get to it.

Yields: 3

Portion: 1 bowl

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 20-25 minutes

This recipe is dairy free, gluten free, and vegan.

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Ingredients:

Pesto:

4 handfuls of spinach

1 bunch of fresh parsley

½ white onion

1- 1 ½ cups of walnuts

2 TBSPS of extra virgin olive oil

½ lemon

4-5 garlic cloves

1 TSP kosher salt

¼ TSP red pepper flakes

Pasta:

2 cups of fusilli brown rice pasta (feel free to use regular pasta)

Kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil

8-10 cherry tomatoes chopped in halves

Freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions:

1. First, grab a food processor and add 4 handfuls of spinach. Puree.

2. Now, add the 1 bunch of fresh parsley in. Puree.

3. Add ½ a white onion (chop it in smaller chunks to make pureeing easier). Puree.

4. Squeeze in ½ lemon, add 2 TBSPS of olive oil, 1 TSP of salt, and ¼ TSP of red pepper flakes. Puree.

5. Grab a small frying pan, add 2 TBSPS of olive oil in, and once it shimmers, add in the garlic cloves. Toast until light brown and add the garlic cloves and excess olive oil into the food processor. Puree well.

6.Now, add the walnuts and puree again. If it is still looking a bit chunky, add in more olive oil. Once it's done, place the spinach and parsley pesto into a bowl.

7. You should have a pot of water already boiling on the stove. Make sure you salted the water well. Once it has boiled add in 2 cups of brown rice pasta. Cook until al dente.

8. Strain the pasta but keep some of the pasta water. Grab a 3 inch frying pan and add in 1 TBSP or more into the pan. Once it shimmers, add the cherry tomatoes and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add 2 TBSPs of the pasta water in. Stir.

9. Now, add the pesto in. Stir for 1 minute. Add the pasta and make sure to have the pesto mix into the fusilli pasta well. Taste for salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes and add to your liking. We like it spicy in this household, but it's up to you. Enjoy!

I hope you love this recipe as much as I did, so if you do, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I always read through my suggestions and comments, so please let me know your thoughts. If you have any questions you can feel free to DM me here or through Instagram. Speaking of Instagram - please tag me in all of your creations! I love seeing how the recipes come out and seeing how talented you all are. Sending my love.

xoxo,

Jasmin D the RD