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Pesto Pasta · Vegan Kale Walnut

Vegan Kale and Walnut Pesto Pasta

Quickly blanched kale, basil, toasted walnuts and nutritional yeast make a deep green, dairy-free pesto that costs less than the classic and keeps its color.

New, no ratings yet0 reviewsby Simmerbee Kitchen

Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
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Ingredients

  • Pesto
  • ½ cup walnuts
    Swaps for walnuts

    Instead of nuts

    • Another nut: The same amount. Pecans are sweeter and softer, walnuts slightly bitter, almonds firmer and milder.
    • Toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds: The same amount. Smaller and crunchier, with an earthy taste.
    • Leave them out, or use chocolate chips or toasted oats: The same amount (or none). Leaving nuts out doesn't change how a batter bakes.

    More for nuts

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • 1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed (about 4 cups leaves)
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
    Swaps for fresh basil leaves

    Instead of basil

    • Dried basil: 1 tsp dried for each 1 tbsp chopped fresh (a third as much). Flatter and more savory: dried basil loses its sweet, clove-like smell.
    • Spinach or arugula + parsley (for pesto): The same amount of greens. Greener and milder (arugula is peppery); still a good pesto.
    • Fresh mint or oregano: Half as much. Different but fresh; mint suits Thai dishes, oregano suits Italian.

    More for basil

  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
    Swaps for garlic

    Instead of garlic

    • Garlic powder: ⅛ tsp for each clove. Mellower and sweeter, with no bite.
    • Jarred minced garlic: ½ tsp for each clove. Milder and slightly sour from the preserving liquid.

    More for garlic

  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
    Swaps for lemon juice

    Instead of lemon juice

    • Lime juice: The same amount. A different, more floral aroma; works almost everywhere.
    • Bottled lemon juice: The same amount. More sour and flatter; fine in cooking and baking, less bright in dressings and drinks.
    • White wine vinegar or white vinegar: Half as much. Sharper, with no citrus aroma.

    More for lemon juice

  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
    Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    Swaps for extra-virgin olive oil

    Instead of olive oil

    • Avocado oil or another neutral oil: The same amount. No olive flavor; avocado oil handles higher heat.
    • Butter: The same amount. Richer and nutty when browned.
    • A neutral oil + more seasoning: The same amount. Dressings lose the fruity, peppery note; a little extra lemon, garlic or mustard makes up for it.

    More for olive oil

  • Pasta
  • 1 lb rotini or penne, dried; check the label for egg-free
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt, for the pasta water
    Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.

Steps

  1. Toast (how to toast) Toast Heat nuts, seeds, spices or bread crumbs in a dry pan or oven until fragrant and lightly browned. 1. Spread them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, or on a sheet pan at 350°F.2. Shake the pan or stir often.3. Watch and smell: the moment they smell nutty, they are close.4. Tip them onto a plate right away; the hot pan keeps cooking them. Done when: They are fragrant and a shade darker. Small seeds take 1 to 3 minutes; nuts in the oven 5 to 10. How to toast nuts, seeds, spices and bread: mistakes to avoid
    the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant.
    ⏱ Toast nuts: 4 min
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a
    boil (how to boil) Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid
    and add 1 tablespoon salt.
  3. Drop the kale leaves into the boiling water and cook just until bright green.
    ⏱ Blanch kale: 30 sec
  4. Lift the kale out with tongs into a colander and rinse it with cold water. Keep the pot boiling for the pasta.
  5. Squeeze the kale firmly in your hands to press out as much water as you can.
  6. Pulse the walnuts and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped.
  7. Add the kale, basil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and 3/4 teaspoon salt and pulse into a coarse paste.
  8. With the machine running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream until smooth.
  9. Cook the pasta in the same pot until al dente.
    ⏱ Boil pasta: 10 min
  10. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
  11. Return the pasta to the pot off the heat and toss with the pesto and 1/4 cup pasta water until creamy. Add more water if needed.

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

  • The quick blanch tames raw kale's bitterness and keeps the pesto green for days.
  • Curly kale works too; strip the leaves off the tough center ribs.

Storage

Refrigerate the pesto up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. Dressed pasta keeps 3 days and is good cold.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: kale (October to March), basil (June to September).

Quick answers

Can I freeze it?

Refrigerate the pesto up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.

What can I swap?
  • Instead of nuts: Another nut, the same amount.
  • Instead of basil: Dried basil.

Curly kale works too.

Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories
770
Protein
18 g
Carbohydrates
89 g
Fiber
6 g
Sugars
4 g
Fat
39 g
Saturated fat
5 g
Sodium
350 mg

Whole recipe, 4 servings: about 3,080 calories.

Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 8 of 9 ingredients.

How we estimate

We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 4 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.

Not counted: kosher salt (for the cooking water).

No match yet: nutritional yeast.

Estimated cost

About $1.90 a serving

About $7.50 for the recipe as written (4 servings).

Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from BLS Average Price Data and USDA ERS Purchase to Plate prices updated with the BLS Consumer Price Index. Priced: 7 of 10 ingredients, 93% by weight.

How we estimate

Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.

  • fresh basil leaves $2.00 ERS
  • extra-virgin olive oil $1.55 ERS
  • rotini or penne $1.35 BLS
  • walnuts $1.35 ERS
  • lacinato kale $1.00 ERS
  • lemon juice $0.15 ERS
  • garlic $0.05 ERS

Not priced (no official average price we can match, so not in the total): nutritional yeast, kosher salt.

More dishes for less: cheap eats.

Goes well with

Picked by our pairing rules: the same kind of kitchen, room in the oven and on the stove, ready in time, and a balance of starch, vegetables and richness.

  • Side Cumin Lime Roasted Carrots 40 min Uses the oven while the pesto pasta is on the stove. Ready in 40 min, inside the main's 30 min. Brings the vegetables the pesto pasta doesn't have.
  • Side Classic Greek Village Salad 15 min No cooking: make it while the main cooks. Ready in 15 min, inside the main's 30 min. Brings the vegetables the pesto pasta doesn't have.
  • Dessert Cinnamon Apple Galette 3 hr 5 min Light and fruity after a rich main. Make it ahead, so it's ready when dinner is.

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Cleanup score 2/5 (more cleanup): 4 things to wash, stockpot, nonstick skillet, food processor, colander.

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