Banza Plant Based Power Pasta Recipe

Who's ready for a delicious pasta recipe using chickpea pasta? In my last recipe post, I threw some nutrition education at 'cha about the awesome benefits that chickpeas offer. I have been a Banza Ambassador for quite awhile and have been sharing delicious and nutritious recipes and I'm here to share yet another plant based powerhouse recipe that's meat-free and packed full of great nutrients, vitamins, and fiber! This is a simple and fresh tasting recipe with some hemp basil pesto I like to make at home, not only is it simple, but it's fresh and is a great source of protein (thanks hemp seeds!)

Ingredients:

Pesto:
2 cups fresh basil (packed)
1 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup hemp hearts
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 lemon- squeezed
few Tbsp water to loosen

Meal:
1 box Banza pasta
1/4 cup pesto
6 sun dried tomatoes- sliced into slivered pieces
2 sauteed sliced mushrooms or more

How to:

Pesto:
1. Mix everything in food processor, stopping once or twice to scrape down sides to ensure thoroughly blended.

Meal:
1. Boil Banza pasta according to directions for 7-10 mins.
2. Remove from heat, place in colander, and drain.
3. Place pasta in a large bowl and add pesto, sliced sun dried tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, and toss lightly
4. Once thoroughly coated, add to serving plate, and enjoy!!

I am not a big red or meat sauce pasta girl. We always joke around about me being the only woman on the planet that doesn't like Italian food. But ever since I tried pesto, it was a true game changer for me and thank goodness! I am not a huge cheese fan (I know.... I know.), so I was excited to find something that I really enjoyed to add to pasta meals. Also, this recipe I used rotini noodles, you can use any variety you wish. Banza has a wide variety, I love the penne/rotini, I always tell Chris they taste different depending on the shapes...lol. Hope you enjoy this recipe, let me know if you give it a whirl or add in some different players to it! I'd love to see your version, feel free to tag me on IG or Facebook if you do!