Protein Pesto Pasta

This delicious 20-minute vegan Protein Pesto Pasta has 30g of protein per serving and is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner! Oil and nut-free, gluten-free optional.

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Watch how to make this Protein Pesto Pasta on my YouTube channel, and don’t forget to subscribe!

Ingredients & Inspiration

Pesto is arguably one of the tastiest condiments ever. Punchy peppery basil, tangy lemon, velvety olive oil, toothsome pine nuts, zippy parmesan, with a good dose of warming garlic… what’s NOT to love? It’s literally HEAVAN! Spread it on toast, mix it into dressings, use it as a dip, toss your pasta noodles in it.

So in this Protein Pesto Pasta I wanted to take all the best parts of pesto and give it an extra protein boost with edamame, swap some of the oil for nutritious tahini, and use uncommon-yet-delicious greens for that vibrant green hue… carrot tops! Yup, carrot greens, the ones we usually throw away after buying, are actually so delicious and have lots of nutrition! They’re peppery and herbaceous, and compliment basil really nicely, so if you want to use carrot tops, do it! Otherwise, use all basil or a combination of other herbs like cilantro, Italian parsley or even kale.

This Protein Pesto Pasta uses a lot of common pantry staples:

Protein Pesto Pasta Ingredients

• carrot tops (or cilantro, parsley, kale or a combination)
• fresh basil leaves
• frozen shelled edamame
• roasted shelled pumpkin seeds
• nutritional yeast
• garlic
• lemon
• tahini
• salt and pepper
• durum wheat or chickpea/lentil pasta of choice

Macros breakdown

This recipe serves 4 large bowls of pasta as a main meal, but if you want to treat this as a side dish to accompany other veggies or sides I’ve included macros for 6 smaller servings.

Four servings: 542 cal, 30g protein, 79g carbs, 12g fats
Six servings: 362 calories, 20g protein, 53g carbs, 8 fat

How to Make Vegan Protein Pesto Pasta

Protein Pesto Pasta comes together in two super easy parts: cooking the pasta in a pot and making the pesto in a blender or food processor:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta noodles of choice according to package directions until al dente. Reserve one cup of cooking water before draining.
2. Meanwhile, make the pesto: Add all of the pesto ingredients into a food processor, plus ¼ of water to start. Blend the pesto on high speed until it’s smooth and well incorporated, but still with some texture remaining (you don’t want it to be like a smoothie). Add more water until you get your desired texture.
3. After you’ve drained the pasta, return it to the pot over medium-low heat and pour in the pesto. Stir until the pasta is fully coated and let heat through for 5 minutes or so, stirring in the reserved pasta water if it’s too dry or chunky.
4. Serve with a sprinkle of chili flakes, vegan parmesan and extra fresh basil and enjoy!

Pesto is the Besto

Nothing hits quite like a hearty and vibrant bowl of protein pesto pasta. The chewy noodles, peppery herbs, punchy garlic and tangy lemon is enough to make me drool. I could literally eat this every week and not get tired of it. Plus, the whole 20-minutes-and-done situation is pretty rad.

If you enjoyed this recipe you might also like my Vegan Paella, Caramelized Onion Rosé Pasta, or Vegan Scarpariello!

Lastly, if you made any of these recipes and decide to share them on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @SteamyVegan and use hashtag #SteamyVegan! I seriously love seeing what you’re cooking up! Plus make sure to check me out on YouTube — I have HUNDREDS of recipe videos to give you limitless plant-based inspiration!