I have one of the easiest recipes ever to share with you today.
Easy and tasty – the perfect combo, don’t you think?
I was craving pasta not long ago, but I wasn’t in a very creative mood, so I looked online for some inspiration.
Pesto pasta kept popping up everywhere, and since I had just made a batch of it the day before for a salad, that’s what I decided to make. I was excited to have such a simple dish for lunch. Cook pasta, add prepared pesto, eat. Easy.
But, as I reached into the fridge to grab the pesto, I noticed the jar of nacho cheese sauce that I’d made for our quinoa & black bean burgers a few days prior.
Hmmm – “do I dare?”, I asked myself.
And dare, I did.
I warmed up the nacho cheese, then added it to the cooked pasta, along with the pesto. I mixed it all together, crossed my fingers, stuffed a bunch of pasta in my face..
and just about died from the deliciousness.
The spicy nacho cheese with the cool pesto was a surefire winner!
Lunch was awesome that day. Which reminds me, I need to make another batch of pesto…
- 1½ cups fresh basil
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil (or hemp oil)
- 1 cup pine nuts*
- 4 medium garlic cloves
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1¼ cups water
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- heaping ¼ tsp paprika
- heaping ½ tsp onion powder
- heaping ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 large roasted red pepper
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 3 cups pasta noodles of your choice (I used spelt spiral noodles)
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until just a little bit chunky. Set aside.
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-powered blender and process/blend until smooth. In a small saucepan on low-medium heat, warm the cheese sauce, whisking constantly for about 5 minutes, or until thickened. Set aside.
- Cook according to package directions. Set aside.
- Add your pesto and nacho cheese sauce to the cooked pasta. You will likely not use as much as you prepared, so just add a bit of each at a time, and stop when it gets to where you want it.
- Season with a bit more salt & pepper, if desired.
*Prepare the nacho cheese sauce and/or pesto in advance to save on prep/cooking time!
Lisa says
November 18, 2016 at 6:45 AMHi, if I use walnuts will they need soaking too?
Danielle says
September 25, 2015 at 7:19 PMThis is the best vegan pasta I’ve made to date. My whole life I’ve had a macaroni and cheese addiction, so since going vegan I’ve been desperately searching for a replacement. Today I found the perfect replacement! This is cheesy, slighty spicy, tangy, and so deliciously pestoy 🙂 I can’t explain how happy and thankful I am to have found this recipe! Thank you a million times!!
Karyn says
July 30, 2015 at 8:56 PMI just made this tonight & it was so amazing! Thanks for a wonderful new recipe. I’ll be back…
Erin says
March 24, 2015 at 8:17 PMJust made the cheese and it’s good but a little runny, is that normal? (New to dairy free)
Cassie says
March 25, 2015 at 4:59 PMIf it’s runny, you didn’t cook it long enough. It should thicken up on the stove.
Elizabeth says
January 4, 2015 at 9:31 PMJust wanted to leave you a note saying thank you for the delicious recipe! My family enjoyed this so much (my kids were arguing over third servings)! Adding to my dinner rotation and sharing with my FB friends. Thanks again! 🙂
Sally says
September 14, 2014 at 9:25 PMMade for the first time tonight! So delicious, thank you for the recipe! I have lots of nacho cheese sauce left over. How long will it stay good before I need to toss?
Cassie says
September 15, 2014 at 4:35 PMGlad it was a hit, Sally! The cheese should last about 5 days in the refrigerator.
Kevin Jeffreys says
September 6, 2014 at 6:19 PMI didn’t make the Pesto part but I used the cheddar cheese for regular Mac n cheese and it was delicious. This is a lot cheaper and healthier than the store bought vegan cheeses. Thanks for the recipe.
Cassie says
September 9, 2014 at 9:54 AMI’m so happy you liked it, Kevin!
Ken W. says
September 3, 2014 at 6:53 PMWow, that was really easy and super tasty, thanks!
Cassie says
September 3, 2014 at 8:47 PMGlad you liked it, Ken! 🙂
Allison @ Clean Wellness says
May 12, 2014 at 12:14 PMOh man, if I was near a kitchen right now, I’d be whipping this up for lunch! Looks deeelish!
PS. I see you live in Ontario, Cassie! Hello from a fellow Ontario girl 🙂
Cassie says
May 12, 2014 at 1:17 PMHello, neighbour! 😀