Vegan Orecchiette with Pesto, Broccoli and Kale
This rich, creamy pasta dish is ready in under 20 minutes and packed with veggies. Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
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This vegan orecchiette dish is super quick and simple which makes it perfect for those busy weekday evenings. The silken tofu makes a great, rich and creamy pesto sauce without all the saturated fat found in dairy cream – keeping this pasta dish healthy and delicious.
What is orecchiette?
‘Orecchiette’ is an Italian word meaning ‘little ears’, which is what this pasta resembles! The shape is similar to that of conchigliette, or little shell, pasta and is great for saucy dishes.
Orecchiette pasta originates in southern Italy, but is available widely in UK supermarkets. If you can’t find vegan orecchiette near you, conchigliette or any other similarly shaped pasta will work well substituted into this dish.
Is all pasta vegan?
All pasta is not created equally. Fresh pasta is made using eggs, and so is definitely not suitable for vegans.
Dried pasta is often made with only durum wheat and water, so dried pasta is the way to go when sticking to a vegan diet. It’s rare, but non-vegan ingredients can sneak their way into dried pasta too, so always check the label.
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 6)
- 66.666666666667 66.666666666667 g orecchiette pasta
- 33.333333333333 33.333333333333 g Tenderstem broccoli, sliced
- 33.333333333333 33.333333333333 g kale, trimmed
- 0.16666666666667 0.16666666666667 tbsp oil
- 33.333333333333 33.333333333333 g white mushrooms, sliced
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp pine nuts
- To make the pesto sauce
- 50 50 g silken tofu
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp vegan pesto
Method
- In a large saucepan of boiling water cook the orecchiette according to pack instructions, then drain off the liquid. Whilst the pasta is cooking, bring a second pan of water to the boil; cook the broccoli and kale for 3-4 minutes in this, and drain.
- For the sauce, add the tofu and pesto to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- In a large pan over a medium heat, add the oil and cook the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, kale, orecchiette, pine nuts, and pesto sauce to the mushrooms. Stir thoroughly to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes until hot, before serving.
Nutritional information per serving (232g): Calories 260, Fat 11g, Saturates 1.3g, Carbohydrate 31g, Sugars 4g, Fibre 4g, Protein 11g, Salt 0.2g
Can’t get enough pasta? Try this Jackfruit “Tuna” and Sweetcorn Pasta Salad recipe!
