Although pesto traditionally contains Parmesan cheese, there are several vegan-friendly pestos on the market – Zest, Suma and Meridian all make vegan-friendly versions, and even the UK market leader Sacla do a “free from” Basil Pesto that is suitable for vegans… they’re all quite different from each other so try a few different brands until you find which one you like best. Our family favourite is Le Conserve della Nonna, (available from Ocado or Asda, see image below).
Most dried pasta is vegan, but beware fresh pastas as these tend to contain egg.
Ingredients
Dried pasta
Frozen peas
Vegan-friendly Pesto
Broccoli, cut into florets (optional)
Vegan parmesan to serve (optional)
Method
1. Half fill a pan of water and turn the heat up high to bring it to the boil.
2. Add the dried pasta, bring it back to the boil, then turn down the heat to keep it simmering nicely.
3. When the pasta is about half way through the cooking time given on the back of the packet (usually somewhere between 8-11 minutes), add the frozen peas. Turn the heat back up to bring it back to the boil as quickly as possible, and then turn it back down to a simmer so it doesn’t boil over.
4. When the pasta and peas are cooked, drain away the water (I use a colander) and stir through 1-2 tablespoons of vegan pesto before serving.
Variations:
This also works well with green beans (especially with penne) instead of or as well as the peas. If using frozen green beans just add them to the pan a few minutes earlier to allow for their slightly longer cooking time.
- Dried pasta
- Frozen peas
- Vegan-friendly Pesto
- Broccoli, cut into small florets (optional)
- Vegan parmesan to serve (optional)
- Half fill a pan of water and turn the heat up high to bring it to the boil.
- Add the dried pasta, bring it back to the boil, then turn down the heat to keep it simmering nicely.
- When the pasta is about half way through the cooking time given on the back of the packet (usually somewhere between 8-11 minutes), add the frozen peas and the broccoli florets. Turn the heat back up to bring it back to the boil as quickly as possible, and then turn it back down to a simmer so it doesn't boil over.
- When the pasta and veg are cooked, drain away the water (I use a colander) and stir through 1-2 tablespoons of vegan pesto before serving.
This also works well with green beans (especially with penne) instead of or as well as the peas. If using frozen green beans just add them to the pan a few minutes earlier to allow for their slightly longer cooking time.
Pesto traditionally contains Parmesan cheese but there are several dairy-free brands on the market - try Zest, Meridian, or Sacla free-from, or our family favourite Le Conserve della Nonna. They're all quite different from one another so try several to discover which one you prefer. Dried pasta is usually vegan, but beware of fresh pasta as it tends to contain egg.