Vegan With Soul: Basil Pesto Pasta

We’ve been talking about it for weeks. Now, it’s finally here. We’ve gone vegan. Our lives are suppose to forever be changed. Let’s see!

First recipe is a good one. It’s a basil pesto pasta dish. The basil pesto always wins. I mean, it’s good on warm toasty bread. Then, the pasta is cooked in white wine and vegetable stock- that’s what makes it tastes so damn good.
Seriously, though. You’ll be making this dish over and over again. It’s a winner – all the way. One thing I didn’t mention is that you could spice it up by adding red pepper flakes, if you wanted to. I didn’t. But, in retrospect, I’ll definitely do it next time.

Here’s how to make it from the kitchen of Darius Cooks.

Ingredients:

For the pasta
1/2 pound of pasta, your choice
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 cup of good white wine (I used Chardonnay)
3 cups of water

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For the grilled corn
2 ears of fresh sweet corn
2 teaspoons of olive oil
a pinch of Kosher salt
a pinch of black pepper

For the sauce
1/2 cup of olive oil – divided
2 teaspoons cup of finely chopped garlic
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons of fresh minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of herbs de provence
1/2 teaspoon of dried fennel
3/4 cup of good white wine (I used chardonnay)

For the basil pesto
2 cups of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup of toasted pecans
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 to 1/3 cup of olive oil
Fresh basil, to garnish

Directions:

Start by grilling the corn. Using a grill pan, preheat it on medium high heat. Meanwhile, rub the fresh corn with the olive oil and liberally season with salt and pepper. When the grill pan is ready, grill the corn on all sides until the corn is charred with grill marks. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Then, make the basil pesto. Just add the basil, toasted pecans, Kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil to a…

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… food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

Next, start the sauce. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a skillet and saute the onions and 3/4 of the pint of halved tomatoes until the onions are just about tender. Then, add in the garlic and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, herbs de provence, and dried fennel. Cook for about 3 minutes to bloom the spices, then add in the remainder olive oil and the white wine. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the wine has reduced by half.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta by boiling water and white wine together. Dissolve a vegetable bouillon cube in the boiling water. Then, add the pasta and cook until it’s just al dente.

To finish the dish, add the cooked pasta into the sauce, toss in some basil pesto, top with the charred corn that’s been cut off the cob, and garnish with the remaining tomatoes and chopped fresh basil.

For more recipes or to follow Darius, check him out here or on social media @DariusCooks.