Bright & Light Pesto Pasta With Marinated Mushrooms
Just when you thought the only way to get your daily intake of greens in was through a salad or smoothie! This pesto pasta is a great recipe to help sneak in some of the amazing power houses of greens into your daily diet. Now, more than ever, it is important to get greens into your routine because they are so healthy and packed full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber! Greens are low in calories but high in nutrients which is always a win win in everyones book. Eating high amounts of greens can offer numerous health benefits like reducing you risk of heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and much more just to name a few.
This recipe has all the greens but it’s also great for what it’s lacking: It’s free of dairy, nuts, and gluten! Many pestos have nuts and/or dairy in them, but here I swapped out the dairy for plant based milk, and instead of nuts I used hemps seeds which are high in protein, high in fiber, and allergy friendly. Lastly, I swapped out the wheat pasta for gluten free brown rice pasta which is high in protein and makes this recipe allergy friendly for everyone with gluten intolerances and Celiac disease. This one is for you.
Oil free too? Just omit the olive oil and vegan butter and use a splash of veggie broth!
Next time someone asks you where you get your greens, you can say “Pasta!”.
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Makes 2-3 servings
The Goods:
1 package gluten free brown rice noodles
2-3 large portobello mushrooms, largely sliced
2 tbsp vegan butter - (optional)
flaky sea salt - (optional)
red pepper flakes - (optional)
For the mushroom marinade:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Big Tree Farms Coco aminos
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp dried herbs of choice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
For the pesto:
2 packed cups of spinach
2 packed cups of basil
1 packed cup of dill
1 packed cup parsley
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp hemp seeds
1 cup unsweetened plant milk
1- 2 lemons, squeezed
2-3 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
The Method:
Grab a large mixing bowl, and add all your mushroom marinade ingredients into it. Stir with a spoon until fully mixed, and toss in sliced mushrooms. Mix and evenly coat the mushrooms with all the marinade, then set aside in the fridge for 15-45 minutes to marinate.
Next, fill a large soup pot with water to cook the noodles. Bring water to a boil with a pinch of salt.
As you’re waiting for the water to heat up for the noodles, grab a blender and add all your pesto ingredients except one lemon. Start off by pulsing a few times to get everything moving, then turn on high and blend for 7-10 seconds or until you get your desired consistency. I prefer to keep the pesto with a bit of texture, rather than completely blending till smooth, but it’s up to you. Once you reach desired consistency, taste for salt and brightness from the lemon, add the other lemon if needed. Set aside with the pesto still inside blender.
Cook rice noodles to package instructions. Once done, strain water out, and rinse with cold water. Optional to drizzle with olive oil or vegan butter, to prevent noodles from sticking to each other. Set aside back into the empty pot, and cover with the lid.
Now the fun part! Grab your blender and pour your pesto over the noodles and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is coated. You can use all the pesto or save a little bit for leftovers later on. Cover the pot to keep the noodles warm.
Lastly, grab the marinating mushrooms from the fridge, and heat a large cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Once hot, add your mushrooms and all the marinade into the skillet. Sauté with tongs for 5-7 minutes until the mushrooms are browning and have reduced in size. Remove from heat, and quickly grab your serving bowls.
Serve up your pesto pasta portions to desired size, then using tongs, grab a few slices of mushrooms and place them over the top of the pasta. Garnish with some flaky sea salt, red pepper flakes, and even a few leaves of basil. Enjoy immediately!
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