Green Olive Pesto Pasta
This Vegan Green Olive Pesto is a zesty, dairy-free twist on traditional pesto. Made with green olives, pine nuts, fresh basil, and parsley, it’s a vibrant, flavourful sauce that perfectly coats wide pappardelle. Quick and easy to prepare, it’s a deliciously rich, plant-based pasta dish that’s perfect for any meal!
Ingredients
- 300 g pappardelle
- 120 g green olives pitted
- 40 g pine nuts
- 15 g fresh basil
- 15 g fresh parsley
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1-2 tbsp water
- 2 cloves garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Lightly toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until golden and fragrant. Let them cool.
- In a chopper or blender, combine green olives, toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, basil, parsley, garlic, olive oil, and nutritional yeast. Blend until you get a coarse paste.
- Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, blending until the pesto reaches your preferred consistency.
- Adjust with salt and pepper, but be cautious as olives are already salty.
- Cook pappardelle in boiling salted water according to the package instructions. Reserve 3 tablespoons of pasta water before draining.
- Toss the pasta with the pesto, adding a splash of reserved pasta water to coat the noodles evenly.
- Top with toasted pine nuts and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil
Notes
- Pine nuts are traditional, but you can substitute with walnuts, almonds or sunflower seeds for a different flavour and texture.
- If the pesto is too thick, add a little more olive oil or pasta water to reach your desired texture.
- While pappardelle works beautifully, any other long pasta like spaghetti or linguine will also complement the pesto perfectly.