15 Minute Budget Basil Pesto Pasta
Here an easy recipe for my 15 Minute Budget Basil Pesto Pasta, which uses spaghetti, fresh basil, cashews and a little bit of parmesan.
Servings 2
Equipment
- saucepan
- Blender / Food Processor
Ingredients
- 80 g basil fresh
- 50 g cashews raw or roasted
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast or parmesan
- 200 g spaghetti I used gluten free
- 1 egg yolk
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Budget Basil Pesto
- Put basil, olive oil, water, parmesan or nutritional yeast, cashews and salt and pepper to taste into a blender and blend until smooth, but not runny. Taste and season further, you could even add a squeeze of lemon for freshness. I usually go with 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 pinch of pepper.
For the Pasta
- In a large pot filled with hot water that is already boiling, add 200g of spaghetti and cook until soft
- Drain water from pasta and return to pot over low heat. Now stir in one egg yolk, making sure the pasta is perfectly coated with the yolk. Pour into your basil pesto and cook for another minute or until the sauce is heated through.
- Serve with some more parmesan or nutritional yeast, as well as a crack of black pepper.
Notes
- I really enjoy using gluten-free Simple Truth spaghetti but you really can use any pasta for this recipe
- You will need fresh basil for this 15 Minute Budget Basil Pesto Pasta and I do not recommend making any substitutions for fresh basil
- I use olive oil because it gives the pesto a nutty rich taste but you could also use avocado oil
- Cashew nuts are a lot cheaper than pine nuts, but if you have pine nuts you can definitely use. I have also tried this recipe with almonds and it worked just as well.
- I don’t like garlic and it affects my IBS so I didn’t add it, but you could add a tiny bit of minced garlic
- Parmesan cheese can be substituted for nutritional yeast if vegan
- Egg yolk can also be omitted if vegan, but I advise adding it in as it gives a super creamy taste. You could also use a 1/4 of coconut cream.
- No fancy seasoning used here, just good old fashioned salt and pepper, but you could use celery salt or even chilli flakes if you like