Gluten & Dairy Free Pesto Pasta Salad

There is something about a pesto salad that just screams summer for me!

This gluten and diary free pesto pasta salad recipe is the perfect addition to your meal prep. rotation. It's so easy it to make and you can enjoy it hot or cold ( refer to the notes for the best way to reheat )

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 1/2 cups chopped asparagus (thinner asparagus works best)

• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

• 2 tbsp chopped capers

• 4 cups GF pasta noodles ( I used Jovial Foods brown rice farfalle noodle

Pesto Sauce

• 1 handful of basal

• 1 handful of arugula

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 small garlic clove

• 1 1/2 tbsp vegan parmesan cheese ( I used this blend from the source bulk foods but you can also use nutritional yeast)

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional, I left these out for mine)

• Pinch of salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Chopped asparagus ( roughly into 4-5 piece), tomatoes ( in half) and capers)

3. Place asparagus on a baking sheet with salt, pepper & olive oil and bake for 10-15 minutes ( make sure not to over cook. You can char your tomatoes as well if you prefer them cooked)

4. Boil a pot of water with salt and cook noddles based on the time suggested on the box.

5. In a food processor add basal, arugula, vegan parmesan (or nutritional yeast), garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt (and pine nuts if you're fancy) and blend until combined.

6. In a large bowl add pasta noodle, asparagus, tomatoes, capers & pesto sauce. Stir until combined

7. Top with your desired protein, I personally love it with grilled chicken!

Notes:

This recipe makes 4 servings and can be stored in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 5 days. You can enjoy this salad cold or if you prefer to warm it up I recommend cooking the noodle 1 minute less then suggested time and place the pasta in a pan with olive oil and a splash of water to reheat.

Enjoy!✌🏻