Long ago in a land far away (*cough* Montreal *cough*), I enjoyed the best pasta dish I have ever had. Now, it’s gonna sound weird, but I promise you, it works. It works so well that I’m shocked that no other restaurants discovered this combo: mangoes, pesto, avocado, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, and a ton of parmesan. All tossed with a notched pasta perfect for soaking up all of the wonderfulness.
This pasta was so mind-blowing, friends, that I remembered enjoying it years later, and went so far as to google the heck out of it, as I had completely forgotten where I had gobbled it down. Well, I finally found the restaurant. Thank you, Jardin Nelson, for inventing the best pasta dish known to mankind.(Refer to the “Cartier” on page 2.) As a side note, any of you going to Montreal should definitely go to Jardin Nelson. It has a beautiful dining area outside- in a giant garden- and they have live music. And this pasta dish, so enough said.
But anyway, clearly I did not replicate this pasta dish exactly, as this is Vegan Mofo, after all. I removed all cheese from the recipe, and subbed kamut instead of pasta.
How did it compare to the original? Oh, it was super delicious, and I will 100% be making this many times over. In fact, it was so darn tasty that I am titling it “Mango Pesto Mouth Party”. The mix of salty olives, chewy and sweet sundried tomatoes, creamy avocado, tropical mango, and basil pesto will make your tongue do a happy dance.
I am also delighted to say that this recipe is boyfriend approved (who is non-veg). He said it really is an awesome combo of ingredients. Whenever I get a thumbs up from him, as he has particularly delicate tastebuds, I know it’s pretty damn good.
Mango Pesto Mouth Party
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry kamut (see note)
- 5 cups raw spinach
- 1 mango, chunked
- 1/2 avocado, chunked
- 1/3-1/2 cup vegan pesto
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, julienned
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced
Directions
- Cook the kamut in 3 cups water for 1 hr and 15 mins, or until all water is absorbed by the grain. Add in the spinach to the pot, stirring until all leaves are wilted.
- Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Dig in!
That looks so tasty!
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Thanks so much, Rosie!
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