An Easy Midweek Healthy Dinner: Creamy, Dairy Free Pesto Pasta

Last weeks most asked request was… you were are An Easy Midweek dinner: Creamy, Dairy Free Pesto Pasta. Get out your plastic containers or your mason jars as you are going to want to make this Pesto Paste in bulk!

It truly is addictive and goes a long way. This is the base variation, so feel free to add your own personality and it does not just have to go with a Tuesday night pasta, although when you combine it with a reduced almond milk that makes it even creamier it could be hard to resist.

What Is the Biggest Takeaway from this Recipe?

Get out your plastic containers or your mason jars as you are going to want to make this Pesto Paste in bulk! It truly is addictive and goes a long way. This is the base variation, so feel free to add your own personality and it does not just have to go with a Tuesday night pasta, although when you combine it with a reduced almond milk that makes it even creamier it could be hard to resist. Not only will you learn how to make this paste for all occasions, you will understand how to work with Quinoa pasta too! And as it is so simple it is a true midweek healthy dinner recipe you can do super quickly!

What is the secret Ingredient?

You know how much I love to be food creative. As it is dairy free one of the main elements we are not traditionally using is Parmigiano Reggiano. This cheesy nature is packed full of that savory flavor known as Umami. So we need something that is going to sub in  and perform with the same tasty impact. This is where things get a little unique. For this ingredient you will be turning your heads to the asian section of the supermarket. Defiantly unique for an easy midweek healthy dinner recipe with Italian roots. My friends we are selecting Miso Paste. Developed from soy bean it is a strong probiotic that assist in keeping your stomach well prepared for digestion and breaking down your food.

More to it, Miso Paste is packed full of Umami, so only a little is needed and you will not notice the difference when it comes to the delicious flavors for when you slurp up that pasta. Just note Miso Paste can be a little salty so no need to add too much

How is it Healthy?

Quinoa Pasta makes for a great Gluten Free alternative in the home comfort world. The green goodness found in the basil combined with the low acidic nature of the almonds allows for a strong absorption of nutrients for the body at the cellular level

How is it Creamy if there is no Cream?

So happy you asked 😉 Well we are using the goodness of Almond milk. By reducing almond milk down on a stove top it allows it to concentrate and become creamy. In doing so you also get a nuttier flavor. So on one end you get this creamy texture, on the other it magnifies this intense awesome flavor. So everybody wins and no dairy required!

Looking forward to seeing how many mid week dinners get made from this post! Let me know how you go @dan_churchill

For more awesome Almond milk based recipes be sure to check out the campaign I am working on with Almonds.com. In fact don’t forget to vote as you get to choose the recipe! Congratulations to all who did vote as this recipe was the one you chose for dinner. Happy Dairy Free eating my friends!

xo Dan

P.S. Be sure to check out my Free Ebook for more Healthy Recipe Inspiration!

Vegan Creamy Pesto Pasta

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Cost: $10-12

Skill: Easy

Vegan Creamy Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

Pesto

1 Bunch of Basil

1/4 Cup Almonds

3 Garlic cloves

2/3 Cup Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Miso paste

1 Cup King (Brown) Mushrooms

1/3 Cup Almond milk

1 Packet Quinoa Pasta

Pinch of Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Combine all your pesto ingredients into a blender and process until it forms a paste
2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and cook your pasta for 10-12 minutes or until it has the slightest bit of firmness to the tooth. Keep 1 Cup of water aside.
3. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil into a pan and cook your mushroom on each side for 1-2 minutes or until golden, season with salt and pepper
4. In a small pot reduce your milk to half on low heat (3-4 minutes) and then stir in your paste
5. In bowl combine your pasta and 3/4 of your Pesto Creamy Paste and mix through before dishing out into bowls. Top with mushrooms and remaining paste and of course a drizzle of Olive Oil.