Plantiful Spring Pasta with Truffle Pesto

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Spring than with this plant-based version of my favorite pasta dish. Made with a pasta alternative like chickpea pasta, it offers more protein and fiber than traditional pasta, and packs a nutritional punch thanks to the plentiful spring veggies and vegan truffle pesto. It’s easy enough to whip up after a yoga class or to impress guests at your next spring soiree!

Ingredients

• 3 cups grain free pasta wheels like Banza

• 1 cup snap peas, trimmed and halved

• 1 cup asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1” sections

• 2 cups fresh basil, washed and de-stemmed

• ¼ cup pine nuts

• ¼ cup walnuts

• 1 garlic clove

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

• ¼ tsp Black truffle salt like SF Salt Co

Instructions

1. Boil a pot of water on high and prepare an ice bath for blanching the vegetables.

2. Once the water is boiling, blanch snap peas and asparagus for 1 minute before transferring to ice bath and drying. Set aside.

3. Boil a second pot of water for pasta.

4. Once boiling, add pasta and cook per packaged instructions. Rinse and set aside.

5. Make the truffle pesto by adding the basil, walnuts, garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast and truffle salt to a food processor or blender.

6. Blend until creamy and set aside.

7. Toss together pasta, snap peas, asparagus and pesto in a bowl until evenly distributed.

8. Serve warm with pine nuts and basil for garnish.