Spinach and pistachio spaghetti

This colourful and vivid spaghetti dish wins points for style, but more importantly, it is packed with plant protein to nourish you and keep you feeling full, says Jeffrey Boardi. The pistachios add a lovely nutty flavour and a nice crunch, too.

Spinach and pistachio spaghetti. Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing / Clare Winfield

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 230 g wholewheat spaghetti
• 120 g fresh spinach
• 80 g pistachios, plus extra, chopped, to garnish
• 1 pack (300 g) silken tofu
• 20 g nutritional yeast
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente.
2. Before draining, reserve 150 ml of pasta water for the sauce.
3. Combine the spinach, pistachios, silken tofu, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a jug blender.
4. Slowly add the olive oil and then 120 ml of the reserved pasta water while blending, until the sauce becomes creamy and smooth.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked spaghetti with the spinach-pistachio sauce. Stir well to coat evenly, adding more pasta water if needed to thin the sauce.
6. Garnish with extra chopped pistachios to serve.

Note

This recipe has 36 g of protein and 11 g of fibre per serving.

This is an edited extract from Plant Fuel by Jeffrey Boadi (Bloomsbury Publishing), photography by Clare Winfield.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.