This garden-fresh vegan pesto pasta features roasted garlic, walnuts, and sautéed veggies—perfect for a simple, flavour-packed summer dinner.
Some recipes are just too good to share… at least right away. This roasted garlic walnut pesto pasta has been a quiet favourite in my kitchen for over five years. Every time I made it, I thought “One day I’ll post this.” But somehow, it always felt like my go-to comfort meal—a little too special, too simple, too perfect to let go of. But with garden basil in full swing and summer veggies begging to be used, now feels like the right time to finally pass it along.
A Garden-to-Table Summer Dinner
This dish is summer in a bowl. It’s the kind of dinner that makes the most of what’s growing right now—whether that’s basil you’ve been trimming back every week, spinach that bolted faster than you expected, or that one wildly overachieving cherry tomato plant that’s taking over your garden box.
The roasted garlic brings a sweet, mellow depth. The walnuts add a hearty richness (and bonus points for omega-3s). The nutritional yeast gives it that subtle cheesy flavour that makes people do a double take: Wait… this is vegan?
Tossed with pasta and topped with sizzling sautéed mushrooms, onions, and juicy red peppers—it’s a full meal that tastes like something you’d get at a fancy bistro, but takes surprisingly little effort. And it keeps well, making it great for summer leftovers or packing up for a picnic.
Got a lot of basil and kale growing? Make a few batches of the pesto and freeze it for later!
Why It’s A Smart Choice
- 100% plant-based
- Packed with fresh summer produce
- Freezer-friendly pesto
- Ready in under an hour
- Ridiculously delicious
TIP: looking to add more protein? Feel free to serve with grilled chicken or add dollops of ricotta to your bowl!
- 3 oz chicken breast = 26g protein
- 3 oz of ricotta = 7g protein
So from my kitchen to yours, here it is. No more gatekeeping. Just one of my all-time favourite weeknight dinners—finally ready for its moment in the sun.
Walnut Pesto Pasta with Sautéed Veggies
Ingredients
For The Pesto
- 1 head garlic
- Drizzle of olive oil
- 4 cups packed fresh spinach or kale de-ribbed
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup walnut halves
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
For The Meal
- 1 454 to 500g package of pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 200 g mushrooms sliced
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1 red pepper sliced
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
Instructions
To Make The Pesto
- Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
- Cut a sliver off the very top of the head of garlic. Just enough to expose the cloves.
- Place on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle the top with a bit of olive oil. Wrap in the foil.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the garlic is soft and squishy.
- Squish the roasted garlic out of the top into a food processor or blender.
- Add the spinach/kale, basil, walnuts, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt.
- Process on low until finely chopped.
- While the food processor is still running, pour the oil in in a small stream.
To Make the Meal
- Cook and drain the pasta according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the olive oil, mushrooms, onion, red pepper, and salt.
- Sauté until soft.
- Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add it back to the pot and stir in the pesto.
- Serve the pasta into individual bowls and top with sautéed veggies and halved cherry tomatoes.
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