Vegan wholewheat pasta salad with pesto and tomatoes

Vegan wholewheat pasta salad with pesto and tomatoes: a simple recipe with wholewheat pasta, cherry tomatoes, rocket, olive oil and green pesto.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 10 min
• Cooking time: 10 min
• Total time: 20 min
• Calories: 520 kcal per serving
• Protein: 16 g
• Fat: 18 g
• Carbs: 65 g

Ingredients

• 100 g cherry tomatoes
• 1 small handful of rocket
• 150 g wholewheat pasta (e.g. penne or fusilli)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp green pesto (pesto alla genovese, made with olive oil, no seed oils)

Method

You’ll need: saucepan · chopping board · knife · mixing bowl · sieve

1. Cook the wholewheat pasta in well-salted water until al dente. Drain and let it steam dry briefly.
2. Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes. Pick over the rocket, wash it and spin dry.
3. Put the still slightly warm wholewheat pasta in a bowl with the olive oil and green pesto. Mix thoroughly so the pasta is evenly coated.
4. Fold in the cherry tomatoes and rocket. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Leave the pasta salad to stand briefly so the flavours come together. Add a little more olive oil if needed.
6. Spoon into bowls and serve fresh.

Good to know

A pasta salad like this is just right when it needs to be quick but should still taste like proper cooking. Fresh, full of flavour and pleasantly easy.

Swaps

Green pesto → pesto made from basil, walnuts and olive oil (the walnuts contain omega-3). Cherry tomatoes → oven-roasted tomatoes (more intense flavour, still contain lycopene). Rocket → baby spinach (milder, also provides folate). Wholewheat pasta → chickpea pasta (also provides protein and fibre).

Allergens

Contains gluten (wholewheat pasta) and milk (pesto); depending on the pesto, it may also contain cashews or other nuts. Season mildly for children, and in pregnancy choose a pasteurised pesto and wash the rocket thoroughly.