Indulge in a creamy & tangy pasta dish with this vegetarian recipe. Al dente pasta is tossed in olive oil, and then smothered in a buttery sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and shredded spinach. The dish is completed with a refreshing squeeze of lemon juice, toasted almonds, and garnished with sliced chilli & lemon zest. Perfect for a quick & delicious meat-free Monday meal!
Vegetarian Basil & Lemon Pesto Pasta
Vegetarian Basil & Lemon Pesto Pasta
with toasted almonds & fresh lemon
Hands on Time: 15 - 30 minutes
Overall Time: 25 - 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- Almonds
- Cake Flour
- Fresh Chilli
- Lemon
- Low Fat Fresh Milk
- Pesto Princess Basil & Lemon Pesto
- Spinach
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta
From your kitchen:
- Oil (cooking, olive or coconut)
- Salt & Pepper
- Water
- Butter
PRONTO PASTA
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente, 13-15 minutes. Drain and toss through a drizzle of olive oil.
NUTS ABOUT NUTS
Place the almonds in a pan over a medium heat. Toast until golden brown, 2-4 minutes (shifting occasionally). Remove from the pan and set aside.
SAUCE BASE
Place a pan over a medium heat with 20g of butter. When hot, fry the flour, 1-2 minutes (shifting constantly). Remove from the heat, and gradually stir in the milk, making sure there are no lumps. Loosen the sauce with water until the desired consistency.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Return the pan with the sauce to a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir through the sun-dried tomatoes, the pesto, the cooked pasta, the shredded spinach, a squeeze of lemon juice, and seasoning.
DIG IN
Dish up the creamy pasta. Scatter over the toasted almonds. Garnish with the sliced chilli (to taste) and the lemon zest (to taste). Serve with any remaining lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta - 125g
Almonds - 10g
Cake Flour - 15ml
Low Fat Fresh Milk - 100ml
Sun-dried Tomatoes - 30g
Pesto Princess Basil & Lemon Pesto - 40ml
Spinach - 20g
Lemon - 1
Fresh Chilli - 1
PRONTO PASTA
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente, 13-15 minutes. Drain and toss through a drizzle of olive oil.
NUTS ABOUT NUTS
Place the almonds in a pan over a medium heat. Toast until golden brown, 2-4 minutes (shifting occasionally). Remove from the pan and set aside.
SAUCE BASE
Place a pan over a medium heat with 40g of butter. When hot, fry the flour, 1-2 minutes (shifting constantly). Remove from the heat, and gradually stir in the milk, making sure there are no lumps. Loosen the sauce with water until the desired consistency.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Return the pan with the sauce to a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir through the sun-dried tomatoes, the pesto, the cooked pasta, the shredded spinach, a squeeze of lemon juice, and seasoning.
DIG IN
Dish up the creamy pasta. Scatter over the toasted almonds. Garnish with the sliced chilli (to taste) and the lemon zest (to taste). Serve with any remaining lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta - 250g
Almonds - 20g
Cake Flour - 30ml
Low Fat Fresh Milk - 200ml
Sun-dried Tomatoes - 60g
Pesto Princess Basil & Lemon Pesto - 80ml
Spinach - 40g
Lemon - 1
Fresh Chilli - 1
PRONTO PASTA
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente, 13-15 minutes. Drain and toss through a drizzle of olive oil.
NUTS ABOUT NUTS
Place the almonds in a pan over a medium heat. Toast until golden brown, 2-4 minutes (shifting occasionally). Remove from the pan and set aside.
SAUCE BASE
Place a pan over a medium heat with 60g of butter. When hot, fry the flour, 1-2 minutes (shifting constantly). Remove from the heat, and gradually stir in the milk, making sure there are no lumps. Loosen the sauce with water until the desired consistency.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Return the pan with the sauce to a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir through the sun-dried tomatoes, the pesto, the cooked pasta, the shredded spinach, a squeeze of lemon juice, and seasoning.
DIG IN
Dish up the creamy pasta. Scatter over the toasted almonds. Garnish with the sliced chilli (to taste) and the lemon zest (to taste). Serve with any remaining lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta - 375g
Almonds - 30g
Cake Flour - 45ml
Low Fat Fresh Milk - 300ml
Sun-dried Tomatoes - 90g
Pesto Princess Basil & Lemon Pesto - 125ml
Spinach - 60g
Lemon - 1
Fresh Chilli - 1
PRONTO PASTA
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente, 13-15 minutes. Drain and toss through a drizzle of olive oil.
NUTS ABOUT NUTS
Place the almonds in a pan over a medium heat. Toast until golden brown, 2-4 minutes (shifting occasionally). Remove from the pan and set aside.
SAUCE BASE
Place a pan over a medium heat with 80g of butter. When hot, fry the flour, 1-2 minutes (shifting constantly). Remove from the heat, and gradually stir in the milk, making sure there are no lumps. Loosen the sauce with water until the desired consistency.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Return the pan with the sauce to a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir through the sun-dried tomatoes, the pesto, the cooked pasta, the shredded spinach, a squeeze of lemon juice, and seasoning.
DIG IN
Dish up the creamy pasta. Scatter over the toasted almonds. Garnish with the sliced chilli (to taste) and the lemon zest (to taste). Serve with any remaining lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta - 500g
Almonds - 40g
Cake Flour - 60ml
Low Fat Fresh Milk - 400ml
Sun-dried Tomatoes - 120g
Pesto Princess Basil & Lemon Pesto - 160ml
Spinach - 80g
Lemon - 1
Fresh Chilli - 1