Chickpeas give this vegan pesto recipe a lovely creaminess. If you can use homemade almond milk, which doesn’t take long to make, all the better. Tossed with whole-grain penne, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes, it makes a satisfying, colorful meal.

By Del Sroufe,

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces dried penne pasta
  • 2 cups 1-inch broccoli florets
  • 1½ cups packed with fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • Crushed red pepper, to taste (optional)
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan cook broccoli in a small amount of boiling water 5 minutes or until tender; drain.
  • In a blender combine basil, ½ cup of the water, and the garlic. Cover and blend until finely chopped.
  • In a large saucepan mash garbanzo beans with a potato masher, leaving some beans intact. Add milk and the remaining ½ cup water. Bring to boiling. Stir in basil mixture, tomatoes, and, if desired, crushed red pepper. Reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes or until tomatoes are slightly softened.
  • Stir in cooked pasta and broccoli. Cook over medium-low 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Season with salt and black pepper.
Nutritional Information:

Per serving (¼ of recipe): 339 calories, 62 g carbohydrates, 15 g protein, 3.9 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 260 mg sodium, 8.4 g fiber, 6.1 g sugar

Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.

Comments (6)

(4 from 6 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Yovanca Popovich

In the comments below it was mentioned to add more veges. I added 1 x carrot, sliced, mushrooms quartered, approx 1 cup; roasted the tomatoes and the juice from roasting and approx 1 cup of roasted Brussel sprouts. Still needs salt 🤷🏼‍♀️

maya

Wonderful flavors in the pesto! I added more veggies, besides broccoli - everyone enjoyed!!

Manon

This was an easy dish. My kids also liked it (without salt) and we put extra salt and pepper otherwise it was a bit tasteless. one plate and even my fitness husband was full!

Nancy

Fabulous! Definitely needs the salt. I would double the broccoli . Very hearty!

Dora Pecoraro

Awful!

Destany

It was pretty good just almost seems like it needs a creme sauce to it

About the Author

Headshot of Def Sroufe

About the Author

Del Sroufe

Chef Del Sroufe is co-owner and executive chef of Wellness Forum Foods, a whole-food, plant-based meal delivery and catering service in Columbus, Ohio. He is the author of Forks Over Knives - The Cookbook and Better Than Vegan. Del teaches cooking classes and helps people transition to a healthy plant-based diet.
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