Basil Pasta Salad With Garlic and Pine Nuts: Gluten & Dairy-Free! 

Are you looking for a fast lunch or side dish? Check out my Basil Pasta Salad With Garlic and Pine Nuts. This pasta features silky olive oil, toasted pine nuts, and lots of basil. This dish is gluten-free, dairy-free, and full of Italian flavor!

It’s better (and healthier!) than anything your local pasta joint serves. I know you’ll love it as much as we do.

The Great Pasta Debate

Can pasta truly be part of a healthy life? Yes! You can enjoy pasta, and it doesn’t have to affect your body negatively. The key is swapping traditional pasta for something more beneficial, as in this recipe.

Traditional pasta is full of white flour and, most of the time, sugar. These ingredients can elevate your blood sugar, which can cause excess weight gain. Thankfully, there are healthier options on the market. Here’s a quick rundown of our favorite pasta alternatives.

Organic Brown Rice Pasta: This pasta is very close to white pasta in flavor and texture. Just like the name says, it’s made from ground-up brown rice. Brown rice is a fantastic healthy carb source for your body. Healthy carbs are essential because they give your body energy. Carbs can even raise your serotonin levels (1). Bonus: This type of pasta is readily available in most grocery stores.

Organic Almond Flour Pasta: Almond flour pasta is a great low-carb option. In my opinion, this alternative pasta is nearly identical to traditional pasta.

Organic Shirataki or “Miracle” Noodles: These noodles are made from glucomannan, which comes from the konjac plant. Glucomannan contains fiber that can make you feel fuller. These noodles are free from both calories and carbs.

Of course, there is a trade-off. Miracle noodles don’t have a traditional pasta texture. They do, however, blend well with whatever sauce you put on them.

Organic Veggie Alternatives: To get an extra serving of veggies, swap your noodles for one of these options. The fastest choice is simply putting some greens (we love spinach!) on your plate and topping them with a sauce. If you have a little more time, you can spiralize fresh zucchini into “zoodles.” Don’t forget that most stores carry pre-made vegetable noodles. Just watch out for fillers!

Healthy Pasta Ingredients 101

To make this pasta, you need 8 simple, fresh ingredients, all of which are readily available at most grocery stores. It’s the amazing flavors that upgrade it from traditional pasta salads. Here’s what you need.

Organic Garlic Cloves: This recipe contains lots of fragrant garlic! I’m sure you’ve heard your grandparents share remedies centered around this vegetable. They were onto something! Garlic pairs beautifully with basil and is also great for your body. Garlic can help cure several ailments, including the common cold (2).

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Pasta and olive oil are a match made in heaven. Not all olive oils are created equal, though. We recommend using extra virgin olive oil because it retains antioxidants. This healthy fat is excellent for your heart and can help prevent colorectal cancer (3).

Many olive oils have been adulterated, so we recommend researching before purchasing a bottle. Here’s our favorite kind of EVOO that is high-quality AND delicious. 

Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt: Traditional table salt has been stripped of its nutritional benefits. We prefer using Colima sea salt because it’s hand-harvested. This harvesting process keeps all the good stuff intact. You can also use pink Himalayan salt.

Organic White Pepper: White pepper has a deeper, earthier flavor than black pepper. You’ll find this ingredient in most of my recipes! It contains piperine, which can help reduce inflammation in the body (4).

Organic Raw Pine Nuts: If you’ve made one of my amazing pestos, you know just how delicious pine nuts are. Toasting them takes this dish to a whole new level! Pine nuts contain a fatty acid that can help lower bad cholesterol levels (5).

Vegan Cheese: To keep this recipe dairy-free, we use vegan cheese. Over the years, we’ve found a few options we like. Great brands of dairy-free cheese include Daiya, Kite Hill, Follow Your Heart, Forager, Miyokos, So Delicious, and Violife. We make our own Parmesan-style cheese or you can get fresh mozzarella style from the store, if you prefer.

Organic Basil: Fresh basil is a must for any Italian dish! There are many benefits to basil, but one of the best benefits is that it can help prevent Type 2 diabetes (6). Basil is part of the mint family, and I grow it yearly in my garden.

Usually, dry basil is an acceptable substitute, but this recipe truly needs fresh basil leaves to shine.

Create gorgeous basil pieces using the cigar method. Place basil sprigs in a stack and roll them tightly. Use a sharp knife to cut them vertically. This creates the prettiest shavings that are the perfect size for garnish!

Make Basil Pasta Salad With Garlic and Pine Nuts

This recipe comes together in just half an hour. It’ll be your new favorite addition to pasta night! It serves 4 people generously.

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Basil Pasta With Garlic and Pine Nuts (Vegan)

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Author: Mama Z

Supplies

• Large Pot
• Sauté pan

Ingredients

• Purified OR distilled water
• 4 medium organic garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, PLUS more as needed
• 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt OR sea salt, ground, PLUS more for the pot
• 1 (9-ounce) package organic brown rice fettuccine OR linguine pasta *
• ½ teaspoon organic white pepper, ground
• ½ cup organic pine nuts, lightly toasted**
• 1 cup shredded dairy-free mozzarella OR Parmesan-style cheese alternative OR Homemade Parmesan Cheese
• 10-12 large organic basil leaves, shredded

Instructions

• Fill a large pot with cold water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, soften the garlic in the olive oil in a large sauté pan over low heat.
• Remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and set it aside to keep warm. When the water boils, salt it well, add fresh pasta with a bit of olive oil, and cook. Stir the pasta and boiling water every few seconds, until it is al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving ¾ cup of the cooking water, rinse, and drain again. Add the drained pasta to the sauté pan with ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, season with salt (1 teaspoon or so should do it), and white pepper.
• In a serving bowl, toss the pasta with the pine nuts, ¾ cup of vegan cheese, and shredded basil. The sauce should coat the pasta.
• If desired, add a little more pasta water or drizzle lightly with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese substitute. Serve hot.

Notes

*If you want a grain-free option, use well-rinsed and drained cooked konjac noodle fettuccine or linguine. Or omit the pasta altogether and toss with zoodles (spiralized organic zucchini, seeded if large) or fresh organic spinach, or serve over an organic spinach salad. (Zoodles can be boiled for 2 minutes or served raw.)

**To toast pine nuts, place them in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat,
constantly stirring, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2-4 minutes.

***Great brands of dairy-free cheese include Daiya, Kite Hill, Follow Your Heart, Forager, Miyokos, So Delicious, and Violife.

Step One: Sauté the Garlic

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. While the pot of water is boiling, sauté the garlic. To do this, place a large pan over low heat and add the olive oil and garlic. Stir every so often until the garlic is soft. Remove from heat and set aside to keep warm.

Step Two: Prepare the Pasta

When the water boils, salt it generously and add the fresh, dry pasta and a little olive oil. Salty water is a must for cooking pasta!

Stir the pasta every few minutes until al dente, about 3 minutes. If you’re using dried pasta, follow the instructions on the back of the package, turn off the heat at the lower end of the cooking time, and stir until you reach the higher number. Otherwise, you end up with mushy pasta salad.

Example: The package says to cook the pasta for 7-10 minutes. Turn off the heat at 7 minutes, but continue stirring and cooking for 3 more minutes.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain excess water, but reserve ¾ cup of the cooking water. Rinse the pasta and drain again. Add the cooked pasta to the sauté pan with the reserved cooking water, salt, and white pepper.

Step Three: Add the Pine Nuts, Cheese, and Herbs

In a large serving bowl, toss the pasta with the pine nuts, ¾ cup of vegan cheese, and herbs. The sauce should coat the pasta. Add a little more pasta water or drizzle the dish lightly with olive oil if you’d like. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese substitute and season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve as a hot pasta dish full of fresh flavors!

To toast pine nuts, place them in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, constantly stirring, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2-4 minutes.

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