Vegan Spaghetti Genovese with Fresh Asparagus

Vegan Spaghetti Genovese with Fresh Asparagus

Spaghetti Genovese is a GREAT spring dish with lots of beautiful green color.  But, for my gluten-free and dairy-free diet, this dish is usually a big no-no. So today, I'm sharing a gluten-free and vegan version of the traditional recipe, while putting one little additional spring spin on it.  Traditional Spaghetti Genovese is spaghetti and pesto with green beans and potatoes.  I'm not a big fan of green beans, so I changed them out for fresh asparagus. It was delicious.

This vegan pesto recipe is by far one of my favorites.  It's great with chicken, salmon, raw veggies or any kind of pasta.  It's made of all raw foods, full of light flavor and super healthy!

P.S. If you're not a vegan, this can be served with some yummy, broiled salmon.  That's how we enjoyed it tonight!

Vegan Spaghetti Genovese with Fresh Asparagus

Prep time: 15 minutes / Cook Time: 25 minutes / Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Spaghetti Genovese with Fresh Asparagus
Served here with broiled salmon

• 16 oz. spaghetti noodles (I used gluten-free spaghetti)
• 2 large Russet potatoes, quartered and roughly chopped
• 1 cup fresh asparagus, chopped into 1" pieces
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (about 20 large leaves)
• 3/4 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup raw pine nuts (cashews are also a great substitute)
• 2 large garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

 Steps:
For the pesto:

1. In a food processor, add basil, parsley, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice and zest.
2. Pulse until combined, mix with a spatula, and mix again on high speed for about 10 seconds.  Drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil and mix for about 1 minute until it forms a thick paste.  Set aside.

For the potatoes and pasta:

1. Fill a large pot with salted water.  Bring to a boil, add the potatoes and boil on high heat for 5 minutes until the potatoes are fairly soft.  Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon, reserve the boiling water and set aside.
2. Add the spaghetti noodles to the boiling water. Boil the noodles for 7-10 minutes until soft, drain, and set aside. Keep the large pot handy to toss everything together at the end.
3. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil to a large skillet.  Heat on medium heat and then add the potatoes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook on medium heat for an additional 5-7 minutes, turning them occasionally, until edges are browned and potatoes are soft.
4. Transfer the potatoes and any remaining oil to the large pot that was used to boil the potatoes and the pasta.  Add the pesto, spaghetti noodles and asparagus.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.  Toss everything together and serve immediately.