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Creamy Pesto Pasta Bake with Sundried Tomatoes and Avocado (Vegan, Nut Free)

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★★★★★

4.7 from 7 reviews

This Creamy Pesto Pasta Bake sure is healthy, but doesn’t taste like it at all! It is also Gluten Free and Nut Free, so everyone can enjoy.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 oz Gluten Free Pasta, I like Banza (or regular if not GF)
  • 1 cup Russet Potato, peeled and diced into 1/2” pieces
  • 2 cup Fresh Basil, plus more for garnish
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 1/2 cup Unsweetened Plant Milk
  • Zest + Juice of one Lemon
  • 1/2 of an Avocado
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast, Divided
  • 8 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 cup Sundried Tomatoes, chopped (Trader Joe’s has oil-free ones)
  • 1 tbsp Hemp Seeds
  • Heaping 1/4 tsp Salt
  • Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil, add in the diced Potato, and boil for 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
  2. In the meantime, add the Basil, Garlic, Plant Milk, and Lemon Juice + Zest into a food processor. Process until well combined.
  3. Then, add in the Avocado, 1/4 cup of Nutritional Yeast, boiled Potatoes, and Salt/Pepper to taste. Blend until a creamy sauce forms. Set Aside.
  4. Preheat your oven to 350F. Refill the same medium sized pot with water and bring to a boil, this time cooking and draining your pasta according to package instructions.
  5. Add the sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms to a sautee pan with a splash of water and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Then, add in the Sundried Tomatoes and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are fully cooked and the Tomatoes are rehydrated. Feel free to add water to the pan in 1-2 tbsp increments if things start to stick. 
  6. Add the Pesto Sauce and Cooked Pasta to the pan and stir well.
  7. Transfer the Pasta to a oven-safe dish (I used a pie pan) and spread out evenly. Sprinkle 1 tbsp each of Nutritional Yeast and Hemp Seeds over the top of the pasta.  
  8. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Garnish with additional Basil and serve Immediately. 

Notes

I made my own Hemp Milk by blending 1 1/2 tbsp of Hemp Seeds with 1/2 cup of water on high for 60 seconds; however, feel free to use whatever plant milk you have on hand!

Find it online: https://frommybowl.com/pesto-pasta-bake/