These Pesto Turnip Noodles can really trick you into think you are eating spaghetti! I love a good pesto, and this vegan pesto uses nutritional yeast instead of cheese! It still tasted just as delicious as the non-vegan kind, you couldn’t even tell the difference! I found this pesto recipe at Food52.
Start off with two cups of tightly packed basil. Be sure to rinse and dry it well.
Throw all of the pesto ingredients into a food processor. I was able to use my little tiny one, and everything just fit! If you don’t have pine nuts, you can substitute walnuts, but I highly recommend splurging on the pine nuts. I can’t help munching on a few of the extras. They are just so rich and buttery tasting.
You can see, I was just able to fit everything in this food processor.
You’re result will be this gorgeous green pesto! Now, steam up the broccoli, and sauté the turnip noodles with olive oil, salt and pepper. Combine everything and enjoy.
I decided to serve my Pesto Turnip Noodles with a side of roasted fingerling potatoes. I sliced them in half (and quartered some of the bigger ones), tossed with olive oil, rosemary, sea salt, and pepper. Then I layed them out on a baking sheet and cooked for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees.
The Turnip Noodles can be slightly bitter tasting. If you are not a big fan of the taste, try mixing half turnip noodles with half regular spaghetti. I ended up doing this with the leftovers. I didn’t quite have enough for Mike and I to both have dinner. There was plenty of pesto left, so we added in a bit of regular spaghetti and some more pesto. It was hard to tell the difference between the two kinds of noodles!
Pesto Turnip Noodles with Broccoli
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 3-4
Ingredients:
Pesto:
- 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsps nutritional yeast
Noodles:
- 4 small to medium turnips, spiralized
- 1 large head of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
Instructions:
- In a food processor, combine all ingredients for the pesto. Set aside.
- Peel the turnips and spiralize. Trim the noodles so they are a manageable length.
- In a large pan, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Add in the turnip noodles. Season with salt and pepper. Use pasta tongs to toss around. Cook for 6-8 minutes. Be sure to taste test a noodle to see if it is cooked to the consistency of your liking.
- In a separate pan, using a steaming basket, steam the broccoli florets for 5 minutes.
- When the turnip noodles are finished cooking, add in the steamed broccoli and top with pesto sauce (you will have sauce left over). Mix well and serve hot.
2 Comments
I am going to have to try this recipe. I like the use of nutritional yeast in place of cheese. I usually roast the pine nuts to give them a nutty flavor.
I would definitely try it, the nutritional yeast gave it a great flavor and made it a little bit healthier!