December 02, 2020

Healthy Recipe: Vegan Kale Pesto Pasta Salad

By Do It Better Wellness

TOM D'INTINO/for PhillyVoice

Looking for a quick and healthy lunch recipe? Fresh, light and full of veggies, this pasta salad packs a ton of flavor, but with less fat and lots of nutrients.

Vegan Kale Pesto Pasta Salad – makes 4 servings

Pesto Ingredients:
• 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, freshly packed
• 1 cup of packed fresh parsley
• 2 cups of baby kale
• 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 3-4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
• ¼ teaspoon of sea salt
• 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3-6 tablespoons of water

Pasta Salad Ingredients
• 1 lb. of uncooked pasta (whole grain or bean flour)
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes

Pesto Directions

Put all greens, hemp seeds, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and sea salt into a blender or food processor. Blend on high until a paste is formed.
Add olive oil a little at a time (pour while machine is on), scrape down the sides and add 1 Tbsp of water at a time until desired consistency.

Pasta Salad Directions

Cook pasta according to instructions, drain and cool.
Add cherry tomatoes to pasta (if desired, slice them before mixing in with pasta).
Combine with pesto and cool.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 234
Fat: 6.6g
Saturated Fat: .6g
Carbs: 35.3g
Fiber: 6.7g
Sodium: 70mg
Protein: 14.5g