Meatless Pesto Fusilli with Asparagus and Zucchini | Vegan Pesto Fusilli Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3-4 Servings
 
Ingredients
  • Fusilli pasta - 250 gms
  • Avocado basil pesto - 1 cup
  • Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves, minced
  • Asparagus - 15-20
  • Zucchini - 1, medium
  • Extra virgin olive oil as required
  • Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Boil heavily salted water in a large saucepan. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the fusilli pasta.
  2. Cook the fusilli on medium heat until they are al dente i.e. soft but not breaking apart; this would take about 10 to 12 minutes on medium heat.
  3. When you are happy with the texture of your fusilli, switch off the flame. Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water in a bowl.
  4. Then drain the remaining water out of the pasta by pouring them into a colander situated over a kitchen sink.
  5. Rinse the pasta with running water just for a few seconds, then leave it inside the colander at the counter top beside the kitchen sink to let all the water drip off.
  6. While the pasta was cooking, you can prepare the veggies. Trim off the hard end of each asparagus and cut each into 3 pieces to keep them 2-inch long. Wash them well, drain and set aside.
  7. Wash the zucchini first and then slice it into thin rounds of about 1-cm thickness. Set them aside.
  8. Heat a frying pan and add about a tablespoon of olive oil to it.
  9. Once the oil is warm, add the sliced zucchini preferably in a single layer and let them cook for a few minutes until the surface turns golden brown.
  10. Then flip them over and let the other side cook and turn golden brown. It would take about 5 minutes each side to cook the zucchini.**
  11. Take out all the fried zucchini in a bowl and cook the remaining slices similarly. Once done, set them aside while you cook the asparagus.
  12. Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same frying pan. Once the oil is warm, add the asparagus and fry them on medium-low flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
  13. Asparagus cooks very fast; do not overcook them. Take them out in a bowl and set aside.
  14. Now we are ready to assemble the pesto fusilli! Heat a large pot and add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
  15. Once the oil is slightly warm, add the minced garlic and sauté it on medium flame for 1 minute until fragrant.
  16. Now add the avocado basil pesto to the pan and sauté it on low flame for about 8 to 10 minutes until the oil starts to release from the pesto.
  17. The pesto will turn very glossy as the oil starts to release. Now add the cooked fusilli to the pot and using a rubber spatula start stirring carefully to coat each pasta with the pesto.***
  18. Sprinkle a little of the reserved pasta water, a couple tablespoons at a time, over the pasta to help mix them with the pesto.
  19. Next add the sautéed asparagus and zucchini slices, give a mix and do a taste test before seasoning your pesto fusilli with salt & pepper to taste and give a final mix.
  20. Your pesto fusilli is ready to serve!
  21. Transfer the vegan pesto fusilli with zucchini & asparagus to a large serving platter and garnish it with fresh basil leaves. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil and enjoy!
Notes
**Pro tip: Sauté your zucchini in batches and do not pile all of them together; then they will release too much moisture into the oil and become totally mushy. That won’t taste good, trust me!

Secondly, do not add salt while frying the zucchini for the same reason; salt will extract too much water out of the zucchini making them wilted and soggy.

***Pro tip: Ensure that the soft pasta does not break as it will take some stirring to coat each fusilli with the vibrant green pesto.
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://flavorquotient.com/2025/07/pesto-fusilli-recipe-with-zucchini-and-asparagus-vegan/