• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Up Beet Kitchen

  • All Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Workouts
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Workouts
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
    • About
    • Contact
    • Workouts
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » CSA-Inspired Recipes

    Basil Pesto Cashew Alfredo Pasta

    Published: Aug 7, 2020 Last Modified: Aug 15, 2020 by Allison

    94 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    If basil pesto and cashew Alfredo had a love child, this would be it! Made with cashews, lemon, nutritional yeast, garlic, and fresh basil, you will love this divinely creamy pasta sauce that tastes just like summer. Top the bowls with roasted vegetables, chickpeas, and my hemp cashew parmesan for a meal made in heaven. 

    an overhead shot of the basil cashew Alfredo pasta in a bowl against a grey backdrop

    My friend Anna, vegan baker extraordinaire, makes a lot of my recipes, which I just love. A couple of weeks ago, she posted a photo of these Chickpea Meatball Subs with Basil Pesto Cream. Truth be told, I had forgotten about the recipe, but as soon as she reminded me of it, I knew that the basil pesto cream sauce deserved a post of its own! It is one of my absolute favourite sauce recipes to date, and this pasta recipe makes use of all that’s currently in season: basil, tomatoes, and zucchini!

    The components of this pasta dish are as follows: Pasta tossed in creamy basil cashew sauce; roasted chickpeas; roasted onion, zucchini, garlic, and cherry tomatoes; and cashew hemp parmesan. Everything comes together quite quickly, despite this seemingly long list! Just prepare the chickpeas and roasted vegetables first, and then once they’re roasting, prepare the sauce and the cashew hemp parmesan.

    close up overhead shot of a bowl of the cashew basil pasta in a pale pink bowl

    INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

    • For the basil pesto cashew Alfredo sauce: Raw cashews, fresh basil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, pepper, maple syrup (just a small amount, to balance the flavours!), and water.
    • For the roasted vegetables: Red onion, zucchini, garlic, olive oil, and cherry tomatoes.
    • For the roasted chickpeas: Chickpeas, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
    • For the cashew hemp parmesan: Raw cashews, hemp, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and sea salt.
    • And, of course, pasta! 

    STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Start by preparing the chickpeas and vegetables to roast. In a bowl, toss the chickpeas with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, until browned. They’ll crisp up more as they cool. Next, toss together the red onion, zucchini, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl. Transfer to a second baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes in the final 7 minutes of roasting, so that they cook slightly and burst.
    2. Next, prepare the basil cashew cream sauce. Place the soaked cashews, basil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, pepper, maple syrup, and water in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a jar until ready to serve.
    3. Make the cashew hemp parmesan. Simply place cashews, hemp, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt in a food processor and process until a coarse powder forms. Transfer into a container.
    4. Cook some pasta. Pour the basil cashew sauce over the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Top individual bowls with roasted vegetables, roasted chickpeas, and cashew hemp parmesan. Serve immediately!

    overhead shot of the basil cashew sauce ingredients in a vitamix before being blended

    overhead shot of the basil cashew Alfredo sauce in a jar

    overhead shot of the roasted zucchini and tomatoes on a baking sheet

    CAN THIS RECIPE BE MADE AHEAD?

    Yes! You can make the basil cashew sauce a day or two in advance. Don’t add it to the pasta until right before serving, however, as the pasta will absorb too much of the sauce. You can also make the roasted chickpeas a couple of days in advance and store them in the fridge.

    ALLERGY SUBSTITUIONS

    • For nut allergies, use soaked raw sunflower seeds in place of the cashews in the sauce, and use a combination of sunflower seeds and hemp in the parmesan.
    • For gluten allergies, make sure to use gluten-free pasta.

    I hope you love this basil pesto cashew Alfredo pasta! If you make it, leave a comment and rating below to let me know how you enjoyed it! And if you post a photo to Instagram, tag me @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen so that I can feature it.

    straight on shot of the pasta in a light pink bowl topped with roasted vegetables and chickpeas

    straight on shot of a bowl of the basil cashew Alfredo pasta in a light pink bowl

    Enjoy!

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    an overhead shot of the basil cashew Alfredo pasta in a bowl against a grey backdrop

    Basil Pesto Cashew Alfredo Pasta


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: Allison
    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: 4 servings 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    If basil pesto and cashew Alfredo had a love child, this would be it! Made with cashews, lemon, nutritional yeast, garlic, and fresh basil, you will love this is a divinely creamy pasta sauce that tastes just like summer. Top the bowls with roasted vegetables, chickpeas, and my hemp cashew parmesan for a meal made in heaven. 


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Roasted Chickpeas

    • 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 14-oz can, drained and rinsed)
    • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • ¼ tsp each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Roasted Vegetables

    • ½ a medium red onion, sliced
    • 2 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons
    • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
    • Pinch each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 cups cherry tomatoes

    Basil Cashew Cream Sauce

    • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked and drained
    • 2 packed cups fresh basil
    • ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • ¾ tsp fine sea salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • 1 tsp pure maple syrup
    • ¾ cup filtered water

    For Serving

    • 4 cups dry pasta (I used fusilli, but you may use rotini or penne, or 4 portions of linguine or spaghetti)
    • Cashew Hemp Parmesan
    • Additional basil, chopped

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the chickpeas in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Add the salt and pepper, toss to coat, and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned. The chickpeas will crisp up more as they cool.
    2. Place the sliced onion, zucchini, and garlic in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, and olive oil. Toss and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes. Around the 18 minute mark, add the diced tomatoes and roast for seven more minutes. In this time, the tomato skins will burst slightly.
    3. Meanwhile, make the basil cashew cream sauce. Place the cashews, basil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, pepper, maple syrup, and water in an upright blender. Blend until smooth and transfer into an airtight jar until ready to serve.
    4. Make the cashew hemp parmesan using this recipe.
    5. Right before serving, pour desired amount of the sauce over the pasta. I ended up using all of it, because I like my pasta on the saucy side! Mix it in. Divide the pasta between bowls and top with the roasted vegetables, roasted chickpeas, cashew hemp parmesan, and basil. Pass hot sauce or chili flakes at the table for some spice.

    Notes

    Soak the cashews in boiling water for at least 45 minutes before making the sauce to soften them. Drain and proceed with the recipe.

    • Prep Time: 20 minutes
    • Cook Time: 25 minutes
    • Category: Dinner, Lunch
    • Cuisine: Mediterranean

    Keywords: vegan basil pesto cream sauce, vegan basil cashew Alfredo, vegan summer vegetable pasta

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @upbeet.kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #upbeetkitchen

    Related

    « Chipotle Hummus
    Summer Vegetable and White Bean Stew »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Norma

      August 10, 2020 at 8:53 pm

      These photos pulled me in. Then I made it and wow, it rocks. Certainly a show stopper. Will make it again soon.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Allison

        August 13, 2020 at 6:30 pm

        Thanks- I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    featured image for Up Beet Kitchen about page

    Hi, I'm Allison! Welcome to Up Beet Kitchen, a food blog that specializes in wholesome and feel good recipes for people on the move! I love to work with whole foods to fuel healthy, active lifestyles.

    More about me →

    Trending Recipes

    • Chickpea Brown Rice Spinach Artichoke Casserole (Vegan)
      ★★★★★
    • straight on shot of a carrot cake breakfast bar piece on a fork on a white marble board
      Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (V + GF)
      ★★★★★
    • straight on shot of slice of raw vegan banana cream pie on blue plate with coconut whipped cream and caramel sauce on top
      Raw Vegan Banana Cream Pie
      ★★★★★
    • a far out overhead shot of a serving of Moroccan carrot lentil salad in a pink bowl with some pita, hummus, and crackers on a plate beside it
      Moroccan Lentil Carrot Salad (Vegan)
      ★★★★★

    Follow Along on Social Media

    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest

    Cozy Recipes

    • featured image for the post, 1200x1200 pixles, of a serving of the salmon pesto quinoa bake on a light blue plate
      Salmon Pesto Quinoa Bake
    • featured image for the post, an overhead shot of the mole chicken, rice, salsa, and cabbage topped with Greek yogurt in a bowl on a light pink backdrop
      Mole Chicken Bowls
    • featured image for the blog post, overhead photo of a barbecue meatball bowl with quinoa, sweet potato, broccoli, and avocado sauce
      Barbecue Meatball Bowls with Avocado Goddess Sauce
    • 1200x1200 pixel featured image for this recipe, an overhead close up photo of an egg and pesto breakfast burrito sliced in half
      Egg, Pesto, and Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritos

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • About Up Beet Kitchen

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2023 Upbeet Kitchen on the Foodie Pro Theme

     

    Loading Comments...