EASY SPINACH PESTO PASTA

Easy Spinach Pesto Pasta | yupitsvegan.com. Simple vegan spinach and basil pesto coats shell pasta for this fresh, healthy spring dish.

Ingredients
For the vegan spinach pesto:

• 1/2 cup raw cashews (you could also try toasted pine nuts, walnuts, etc.)
• 6 cups loosely packed spinach leaves (6 oz.)
• 1 small bunch basil (0.75 oz.) thick stems removed
• 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 1/2 tsp salt scant
• pepper to taste

For the vegan spinach pesto pasta:

• 8 oz pasta of choice (I used shells)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion (or 1 shallot), diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water

Instructions
Make the pasta:

1. Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil, and cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain it, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Do not rinse.

Make the vegan spinach pesto:

1. Add the cashews to your food processor and pulse a few times until crumbled.
2. Add the spinach, basil, nondairy milk, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and continue to pulse, stopping to stir and scrape the sides if needed, until the spinach and basil are finely chopped.
3. Add more lemon juice to taste if desired, and set aside.