Vegan Creamy Pesto Chickpea Pasta (Printable)

Delight in a creamy vegan pesto pasta salad with chickpeas and fresh arugula for a light, nourishing meal.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10 oz short pasta such as fusilli or penne

→ Creamy Vegan Pesto

02 - 2 cups fresh basil leaves
03 - 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked 1 hour and drained
04 - 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
05 - 2 cloves garlic
06 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
07 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
08 - 1/4 cup unsweetened plant-based milk
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Salad

11 - 1 can (14 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
12 - 3 cups fresh arugula
13 - 3.5 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
14 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
15 - 1 small cucumber, diced

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until completely cooled.
02 - While pasta cooks, combine basil, soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, plant-based milk, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Adjust seasoning to taste.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta, drained chickpeas, arugula, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and cucumber.
04 - Pour the creamy pesto over the salad mixture and toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients evenly.
05 - Taste the salad and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice as desired.
06 - Serve immediately for a fresh texture, or refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's the kind of salad that feels indulgent even though it's completely plant-based and packed with actual nutrition.
  • You can throw it together in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for those days when you want something special but don't have energy for fussing.
  • The creamy pesto clings to every pasta piece and vegetable, so you get flavor in every bite instead of a sad watery dressing pooling at the bottom.
02 -
  • If you skip soaking the cashews, your pesto will have a grainy texture that no amount of blending can fix—I learned this the hard way and had to start over.
  • The arugula wilts slightly as it sits with the warm pesto, which is actually beautiful because the salad becomes less raw and more integrated, not a disaster like I initially thought.
03 -
  • Don't skip the step of rinsing your cooked pasta with cold water—it stops the cooking process and prevents your salad from becoming mushy and warm by the time you serve it.
  • Make extra pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays; each cube thaws into enough for future quick lunches and takes the stress out of meal prep.
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