Almond Picada Pesto Spaghetti

Almond Picada Pesto Spaghetti gives the regular vegan pesto pasta a whole new flavor! This healthy spaghetti sauce recipe inspired by Spanish cuisine makes a great vegan pasta sauce! Give your regular spaghetti a delicious twist by making vegan picada pesto with no cheese.

What is Picada

Are you hearing the word Picada for the first time? I came across this recipe for the first time while going through a food magazine at the checkout counter of Publix. Picada is a dense, hand-pounded paste of toasted bread, nuts (mostly almonds), garlic, olive oil, and other aromatic ingredients.

Why is Picada sauce special

It was invented in the Catalonia region of Spain most likely in the thirteenth or fourteenth century, during hard financial times. The traditional picada was used as the most efficient way to make simple dishes taste as spectacular as the food served during prosperous times. Bread acts as substitute cheese in this vegan pesto recipe.

This sauce became so popular eventually that it has now found a place in many Catalan cookbooks. La picada is used as a thickener in stews and soups and is added at the end of the cooking process which gives the dish its final flavor. Picada reminds me of the Indian chutney or the Broccoli pesto. They all are very similar. You can make Picada sauce in many different ways - spread, dip, or sauce!

This sauce is a keeper

It's packed with flavor, vibrant, and so flavorful! Plus, like a chutney or pesto sauce, Picada too can be made in just 10 minutes using a few ingredients. I decided to use this as a vegan pasta sauce and was impressed with the final outcome! This has now become my go-to pasta recipe whenever I want to eat something light. The picada recipe is very unique because its base ingredients are roasted, and there is no cheese in it. This gives a nutty and crispy flavor to the sauce. BTW, if you want to experiment with the flavor and color, try Beets Pesto for a change! You may end up liking this different vegan pesto recipe as well! 

Why make this

This vegan pesto pasta salad is simple enough for a busy weeknight dinner, yet elegant enough for a special occasion.

• It's vegan
• No cheese added
• It's a vegan pesto recipe
• Can be made in 20 minutes
• Simple and easy to make
• Needs basic pantry essentials
• An innovative pasta recipe

Spaghetti - You can use any kind of spaghetti for this recipe. You can use any kind of pasta.

Veggies - I have used green peas and mushrooms but you can add any veggies you want or have at hand. 

Nuts, herbs, and spices - garlic, almonds, parsley, and jalapeno give this recipe a nutty and mildly spicy flavor.

Bread - You can use any leftover bread in this recipe. I have used store-bought breadcrumbs and they worked great too.

1. In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Lightly toast the almonds, jalapeno, and garlic until lightly golden, stirring frequently, for about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the flame.
2. Transfer the cubes or breadcrumbs to the food processor along with parsley. Reserve some parsley for garnish.
3. Add all the other roasted ingredients along with olive oil.
4. Pulse until coarsely ground for a crumbly picada, or pulse it longer by drizzling more olive oil for a more creamy paste.

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt and then add the spaghetti to it. Cook it al dente. Strain and run it under cold water. Keep it aside.
2. Heat olive oil in the skillet. Add and fry the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes or until they are soft and cooked.
3. Then add green peas and continue to saute for more 2-3 minutes or until the water in them evaporates.
4. Now add the ground picada and saute for a minute.
5. It's time to add the spaghetti. Coat it with the pesto.
6. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley. You can also add crushed red pepper flakes.

Serving suggestions 🍽 

The crunch of a simple Cucumber salad is a great accompaniment to the soft comfort of a spaghetti dinner. You can also serve Baked Bagel Parmesan Chips or some garlic bread along with it. I enjoy my vegan pesto pasta with no accompaniment! Weeknight meals cannot get any simpler than this! Here's a tip - Set aside some of this healthy spaghetti sauce for later. Spread it over toasted bread, top it with avocado, sunflower seeds, and vegan cheese. Then enjoy it as a light snack or for breakfast! It's YUM!

As I mentioned before, this vegan pesto pasta doesn't require any cheese and trust me, you will not even miss it! Picada gives this pasta a deeper and lustier taste than any butter or cream would. That is why I call it the healthy spaghetti sauce! It's so easy to make, yet when you're eating it, it tastes like a restaurant-worthy dish!

Top recipe tips 💭

When making Picada, you can also mix hazelnuts and pecans with almonds. If you have a nut allergy, use sunflower seeds instead. You can also add a pinch of saffron to this healthy spaghetti pasta sauce. Instead of breadcrumbs, you can also use 2-3 slices of any leftover bread. Just roast them in ½ teaspoon olive oil and then cut them into cubes and add to the blender jar.

I have added mushrooms and green peas but you can add any veggies you have handy, like bell peppers, edamame, onions, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, or broccoli. You can use this vegan pesto pasta sauce as a marinade, dip, pizza sauce, or as a spread. It can be baked into bread or mixed into a salad dressing. The options are endless.

Recipe FAQs 📖

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