Dairy Free Basil Pesto Pasta

This dairy-free basil pesto with fresh tomatoes is so flavorful that you don’t even miss the cheese!

We are in the trenches of dairy-free July, y’all. And while I fell off the wagon this weekend (my dad was in town, in my defense…and the place he chose to eat was Phat Philly’s...), I’m back on it. After week 1.5, I don’t necessarily feel good or bad either way. But I do miss cheese.

Italian food seems to be laden with cheese, but while I was brainstorming “things we can eat in July,” I kept coming back to “spaghetti with tomato sauce” as the only thing that sounded decent that popped into my brain. Plus…we are starting to be overrun by tomatoes around here, and knew I had to use them up somehow! Then I had a thought: BASIL PESTO! Even though traditional pesto has Parmesan cheese in it to provide the nutty saltiness, I figured we could fake it with actual nuts and salt, and was pleasantly surprised! This is also the first time I’ve ever used nutritional yeast. It’s known for making vegan things kinda “cheesy.” I bought a small thing of it (aff), and have a feeling it will last awhile, but worked great in the recipe.

This dairy free basil pesto is easy easy easy. Whir everything up in a food processor, saute the tomatoes until delicious, and toss with your favorite pasta! It can easily be made gluten-free with gluten free noodles, and is already vegan!

Homegrown Spotlight: Basil, garlic and tomatoes came from the garden!
While our basil this year isn’t quite as large as last year, it’s still been producing more than enough for a few rounds of pesto and cucumber ranch salad.

Have you made dairy free basil pesto before? Tell me about it in the comments!

#enJOY!

xxHillary

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Dairy Free Basil Pesto Pasta

Course Entree

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 3 -4

Author 918 Plate

Ingredients

• 1 C. packed fresh basil about 50 leaves
• 1/2 C. + 2 T. olive oil
• 1/3 C. cashews roasted
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 T. nutritional yeast
• 1/2 t. fine Himalayan salt
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 3/4 lb. pasta 3 servings
• 6-10 cherry tomatoes

Instructions

1. Boil water and cook pasta according to directions. Drain.
2. Combine basil, garlic, cashews and nutritional yeast in a food processor.
3. Stream in 1/2 C. olive oil while it is running, until smooth.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. In an empty skillet (or pot that the pasta cooked in), add 2 T. Olive oil and bring to medium heat.
6. Add halved cherry tomatoes and sauté for 1-3 minutes. Sprinkle salt to taste.
7. Return pasta to the pan with tomatoes. Add in pesto mixture. Toss to combine.
8. Serve and #enJOY!

Recipe Notes

Naturally Dairy Free & Vegan
Gluten-Free if using GF Pasta
Contains Nuts