There used to be a little pasta chain in my town called “Pasta Ya Gotcha.” It was a counter service restaurant, and I would meet my girlfriends there for a quick lunch—back in the days where I went out for quick lunches with friends—to get my favorite Mizithra Pasta. Mizithra is a type of dry, hard cheese that is sort of a cross between parmesan and feta. I have been dying to recreate it ever since going vegan. After creating my Baked Tofu Feta last month I knew that it would be perfect in this dish! Creamy vegan feta, nutty walnuts, angel hair pasta—they all come together in this amazing Walnut Feta Pesto!
Did you catch that? Walnuts?!? Yep, Jonathan powered through a walnut challenge in May and has successfully passed his walnut allergy! He also passed chickpeas last month, and tried some lentils this past weekend. We are so hopeful that this time next year we will have an even smaller list of allergies. (For those of you keeping track his allergies still stand with all other tree nuts, peanuts, and eggs. You can read more about his allergies here.)
Catch number two—FETA! Yep, VEGAN feta! If you didn’t catch my recipe for this vegan copycat recipe, go get it now! Marinated tofu, baked until dry and crumbly—it’s a dead ringer for it’s dairy counterpart without the middle man, er, cow. This feta has been in high rotation in our house this summer, where it’s been added to salads, pastas, and PIZZA!
Back to the pasta! This dish is super easy to whip up. You’ll need a batch of baked tofu feta which does take some time to marinade and bake, but that’s inactive time. Simply prep it the day before and you’ll be ready to go when you make the pasta. All that’s left is boiling the pasta—angel hair is the way to go here. Ever since having kids I have been resigned to short cut pastas that are easier for the boys to eat, but I love me some fancy angel hair or cappelini. It seems so much more elegant. Then while the pasta cooks pop the feta, walnuts and parsley into the food processor and pulse it a couple of times. Toss and serve!
So lets get on with the recipe! Go ahead and take a picture when you make this and tag me on social media with @frieddandelions or #frieddandelions. I love to see what you’re doing in the kitchen.
Walnut Feta Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 batch Baked Tofu Feta prep the day before (see notes)
- 1 c walnuts
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 1/2 c parsley
- 1 pound angel hair pasta or any other type, use gluten free if needed!
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- In the meantime, place walnuts in a small skillet and toast over medium heat until slightly fragrant. Remove from heat.
- Add tofu feta, walnuts, and parsley into your food processor.
- Pulse a few times, being careful not to break down the tofu into a creamy sauce (you want it to remain crumbly). Add olive oil and pulse 1 or 2 more times to incorporate.
- Add the walnut/tofu pesto to the cooked pasta. Stir to distribute thoroughly—this may take a minute. Add some pasta water, a drizzle at a time, if needed.
- Serve.
