Kale Pesto Pasta w/ Asparagus & Tempeh Bacon

A comforting weeknight pasta dinner infused with spring produce 🌱

It’s another weeknight vegan dinner 🔥

This is my kale pesto pasta with seared asparagus and tempeh bacon bits.

Believe it or not, the pasta in these photos is scratch-made using golden beet juice! Given that it’s quite an ordeal to make pasta from scratch, I’d highly recommend just going with a nice quality store-bought pasta such as tagliatelle or pappardelle. However, I will be posting a separate recipe video for how to make the pasta, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, let’s get into this rich, velvety, chewy, garlicky, all-around delicious pasta dish.

FULL RECIPE

ingredients

one 8-oz block tempeh, halved width-wise (I used Trader Joe’s brand; Lightlife is another common and available brand)

1/2 cup olive oil plus more for cooking as specified below in the preparation instructions

salt & black pepper as specified below in the preparation instructions

1 bunch (typically 1 pound) asparagus, broken off at the end, peeled, then cut on the bias into roughly 1-inch pieces

1 bunch dinosaur (lacinato) kale, leaves peeled from the stems

4 tablespoons whole cashews (you can also use traditional pine nuts, but they be expensive; walnuts or almonds work as well)

1/2 cup grated vegan parmesan plus more for topping (I used Violife brand vegan parm)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 lemons, juiced

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

pasta of your choice (I’d recommend tagliatelle or pappardelle)

preparation

preheat an oven to 350F. bring a medium pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. once boiling, add the tempeh and boil 15 minutes. remove the tempeh, cut into small cubes, then add to a large mixing bowl and toss with 2 tbsp olive oil plus a few pinches of salt and black pepper to taste. add to parchment-lined roasting tray and pop in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

While the tempeh is roasting, prep the asparagus and kale pesto. Start by peeling your asparagus and then cutting on the bias into 1-inch pieces. get a large pot of water boiling and season with salt until it tastes like the sea. add the asparagus to the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. remove the asparagus with a mesh strainer and SAVE THE POT OF WATER. this is a key step, as you can use the same water to boil the remaining ingredients that need to be blanched/boiled. rinse the asparagus under cold water until it no longer feels warm. optionally, you can then add the balanced and cooled asparagus to a small bowl of cold water with the juice of half a lemon (also known as “acidulated water”) and allow it to rest. strain the asparagus and place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap.

bring the same pot of salted water back to a boil (the water should have a green tint) and add the kale. blanch the kale for 2 minutes. remove the kale and place in a large bowl with cold water for 2 minutes. wring the blanched and cooled kale out until no water drips from it. now add the kale to a high powered blender along with 1/2 cup olive oil, the cashews, 1/2 cup vegan parm, the juice of the remaining 1 1/2 lemons, and 1 clove of minced garlic. you can also add some black pepper to taste. blender until the mixture turns to a liquid but it still slightly coarse. it should look like the photo below.

by this point the tempeh should be done in the oven (if it finishes before you’re done prepping the asparagus and pesto, still take it out and just let it rest). add the tempeh bits to a large mixing bowl along with 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, and a couple pinches of salt. mix together with a spatula until the tempeh is evenly coated, then set aside.

now time to bring it all together. get the same large pot of water boiling again and add your pasta. and place a medium to large saute pan over medium heat and allow to heat up 2 minutes. KEY STEP: you want to start the pan over heat about 5 to 7 minutes prior to your pasta being done, so try and time accordingly.

to the large saute pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil, throw in the asparagus, move the pan around immediately, then season with a pinch of salt and some black pepper to taste. allow the asparagus to sit undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes. after that time, you should be able to shake the pan and the asparagus will move about. once the asparagus starts to slightly char, add the remaining 2 cloves minced garlic and mix together. saute the garlic 1 minute, then add 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water from the large pot. this will deglaze the pan. make sure there is always about 1/2 inch of pasta water in the pan until your pasta is finished.

once the pasta is al dente, strain it out and add to the saute pan with the asparagus and garlic. season with a pinch of salt and some black pepper, mix around for about 1 to 2 mins, then transfer to large mixing bowl. in that bowl, add about 3 heaping tablespoons of your kale pesto along with additional vegan parm and some black pepper. mix together until the pasta is well coated. serve the pasta with tempeh bacon, extra parm if desired, and, of course, some more black pepper. this pasta is SO damn good.

enjoy, my friends 🙏