For most of my life I thought that pesto was pretty much exclusively made with basil. Not so! Pesto can be made with lots of varieties of plants and I’m eager to try them all!
I didn’t even know Olive Pesto existed until I was visiting Austria. I was at the grocery store reaching for a jar of basil pesto when I spotted an olive pesto right next to it. Hmmm. I grabbed both. Maybe it’s because the olive pesto was a new flavor for me, but I discovered that I enjoyed the jar of olive pesto more than the basil pesto! I couldn’t wait to recreate those flavors at home.
This Olive Pesto Pasta with Tofu and Veggies is incredibly flavorful with fun and unique flavors! I list my favorite veggie choices for this pasta but if you’d prefer to use different veggies then go for it! The options are endless, have fun and be creative.
Are olives healthy?
Olives belong to a group of fruit called drupes (or stone fruits) and are related to mangoes, cherries, peaches, almonds, and pistachios.
Olives are rich in vitamin E, polyphenol antioxidants, and also contain minerals including calcium. 1 Unfortunately, olives have a pretty high sodium content from the brine they’re packaged in as well as a high fat content. There is a silver lining: the fat is mostly oleic acid, a type of monounsaturated fat, which is a healthy fat. You won’t want to sit down with a big bowl of olives everyday and snack until you’re full, but incorporating olives into your diet is just fine.
What about the soy in tofu?
Tofu is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Tofu contains all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein! (Did you know that all plant foods are complete proteins? Plants contain all of the 20 amino acids2 but tofu is a step ahead with ample amounts of each one!) Tofu is rich in calcium, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Soy can protect against heart disease, reduce menopause symptoms, and help keep bones strong and healthy.
But all of this seems to be overshadowed by the misconception that soy is rocket fuel for breast cancer and man-boobs. This couldn’t be further from the reality! Soy consumption has been shown to greatly reduce breast cancer occurrence, reoccurrence, and death.
For an extra antioxidant boost…
I intentionally don’t cook the bell peppers with the rest of the veggies to preserve the nutritional value! Bell peppers are packed with vitamin C, vitamin A, and potassium and also contain iron, folate and fiber. Bell peppers are vulnerable to heat so cooking immediately reduces the amount of antioxidants. Red bell peppers contain the most nutrients, with 11x more beta-carotene and 1.5x more vitamin C than green bell peppers!3
Olive Pesto Pasta with Tofu and Veggies
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 large bowls 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Smooth and tangy, this Olive Pesto Pasta is perfectly paired with warmly-seasoned sautéed tofu and flavorful veggies! Easy to make, this variation of pesto is so very different than the typical basil variety; a flavorful twist on pesto pasta!
Ingredients
- 12 oz Pasta (Bow Ties, Shells, or Rotini)
Veggies
- 1/3 of a large red onion, chopped
- 2 cups Mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups cauliflower or broccoli, chopped
- 2 cups asparagus, woody stems removed and chopped into 2″ pieces
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp salt
- few grinds of pepper, to-taste
Olive Pesto
- 1 cup Green Olives
- 3/4 cup Black Olives
- 1/4 cup Kalamata Olives
- 1 cup Kale, stems removed (or sub spinach)
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1/2 cup Walnuts (or 1/4 cup pine nuts)
- 1/4 cup Parsley
- 3 tsp Lemon Juice
Tofu
- 1 16 oz Block of Extra Firm Tofu, drained and cut into cubes
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Drain tofu and cut in half length-wise, then wrap in a clean kitchen towel to blot out moisture. Then chop and prep all veggies so they’re ready to go.
- Cut tofu into squares and place in a large skillet. Carefully toss with all the spices under “Tofu”, stirring to coat evenly. Cook tofu on medium heat, flipping occasionally, until tofu is lightly browned.
- In another large skillet sauté onions on medium heat in a drizzle of oil or water until softened. Add all the other veggies, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until everything is softened, stirring occasionally.
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook 12 oz pasta according to package direction. When finished, strain water and return noodles back to pot.
- Meanwhile, while everything cooks, place everything under “Olive Pesto” in food processor and process until pesto is finely chopped and desired consistency, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides.
- Use rubber spatula to scrape pesto from the food processor into the pot with pasta and toss until pasta is evenly coated. Stir in all the veggies and tofu. Serve immediately, garnishing with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: pasta
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Greek, Mediterranean
Did you enjoy this Olive Pesto Pasta with Tofu and Veggies? Leave me a comment! 🙂
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/olives
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6893534/#:~:text=All%20plant%20foods%20contain%20all,indispensable%20amino%20acids%20%5B33%5D.
- https://www.webmd.com/diet/peppers-health-benefits#1
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