Spelt Spirals with Hazelnut Pesto, Roasted Sweet Potato and Nutritional Yeast

In this easy 30-minute dinner recipe, wholegrain spelt pasta spirals are tossed in a rich pesto made with toasted hazelnuts, nutritional yeast and a mix of fresh herbs together with roasted sweet potatoes. Enjoy it on its own or with a green salad or serve alongside grilled chicken or fish for a more substantial meal.

	Hazelnut Pesto
600 g Sweet potatoes 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 120-150 g Organic wholegrain spelt spirals Nutrional yeast, to serve Crushed toasted hazelnuts, to serve	50 g Hazelnuts, lightly toasted and skinned 2 Garlic cloves Zest and juice of 1 lemon 120 ml Extra virgin olive oil 30 ml Hazelnut oil 30 g Fresh herbs (I used a mix of arugula, parsley and basil) 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast, unfortified (or 50 g Parmesan) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the hazelnuts to a kitchen towel and rub together to remove the skins.
In a food processor blend together pesto ingredients with pepper and salt to taste until smooth. This recipe makes more pesto than you’ll need. Keep the excess covered in a layer of olive oil in a jar for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F. Use a vegetable peeler to peel sweet potatoes. Dice the flesh into 1-inch pieces and toss with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread pieces into an even layer, and roast, stirring sweet potato pieces once or twice, until golden brown and tender, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the spelt spirals in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, about 7-8 minutes or according to the packet instructions.
Drain pasta, return to pan and toss with a few tablespoons of the pesto and the roasted sweet potatoes. Serve with extra nutrional yeast and crushed roasted hazelnuts over.

33 comments:

Iwona 15/1/21 08:42: I would like to try it :)
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine 15/1/21 11:39: I love that there are sweet potatoes in this a favorite, and those spirals looks so pretty nice fall meal!
DEZMOND 15/1/21 13:16: I've never had me nutritional yeast! Love the grey plate!
PS the little window with an add that pops up when your page is loaded is super annoying to most readers. I had it on my page as well because Google Adds puts it there, but I got rid of it (you have that option in our Ad Sense dashboard) because visitors are irritated by it and some even think it is a virus.
Eva Taylor 15/1/21 14:09: I had some nutritional yeast last year but never ended up using it, they say it tastes like cheese. I think I’ll get some again and try it in your incredible pesto recipe.
Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/
Nancy Chan 15/1/21 14:43: Healthy and nutritious food. Wish I could taste it.
Tom 15/1/21 15:12: ...something good to try!
Angie's Recipes 15/1/21 15:26: @DEZMONDI really don't like google new ad format. I actually disabled all the ads. But I still see some. Very strange.
Kitchen Riffs 15/1/21 15:35: What a nice idea for a pasta dish! I often use sweet potatoes as a ravioli filling, but that's about it for me when it comes to pasta. Really like how you've used them here. Such nice flavors in this dish, too. Thanks!
DEZMOND 15/1/21 16:46: @Angie's Recipes
Yes, and AdSense account pages are so complex you totally get lost in all the options which mean little to the unexperienced, I hate it too. I do get better revenue with their new ads which appear within posts too, not just in our sidebars, but the pop ups are hideous indeed, which is why I turned them off at my place at some point.
The Exclusive Beauty Diary 15/1/21 16:49: This look very delicious and healthy. Thank you for sharing recipe.

New Post - https://www.exclusivebeautydiary.com/2021/01/kerastase-nutritive-nectar-thermique.html
Angie's Recipes 15/1/21 16:59: @DEZMONDMy problem now is that I can't sign in at all. A pop up keeps telling me that my request cannot be processed. I actually did the page, just for a split second, then it's gone.
savorthebest 15/1/21 17:22: That pesto with hazelnut sounds amazing and I bet it goes wonderfully with the spelt pasta
Ashley@CookNourishBliss 15/1/21 21:00: Now this is my kind of dinner! Looks fantastic!
Gloria Baker 16/1/21 00:57: This look absolutely delicious Angie!
speedy70 16/1/21 08:41: Una pasta molto gustosa!!!
Easyfoodsmith 16/1/21 17:26: Perfect meal for this weather. I have yet to try nutritional yeast though.
Anonymous 16/1/21 20:47: Love spelt pasta and pestos made with an offbeat nut - this dish looks wonderful, Angie!
Chef Mimi 17/1/21 00:11: oooh i love the greens you used in your pesto! Fabulous. And this is so pretty!
mjskit 17/1/21 01:14: What an interesting flavor profile. Hazelnut is not a common ingredient for me but your paste has captured my attention. Very creative dish Angie.
Natalia 17/1/21 12:11: Looks so pretty on a plate, love these colors!
Królowa Karo 17/1/21 16:32: As always, it looks great and the flavors ... Yum!
Debra Eliotseats 17/1/21 18:11: Such a colorful, nutritious, and delicious looking dish!
DEZMOND 17/1/21 18:29: @Angie's RecipesTry to see at Blogger's help forum if anyone has that problem too and if there is a solution. If you disabled ads, maybe that's the reason. You might need to enable them first on our Blogger dashboard first not on AdSense, but I don't know. I no longer see popup here when I open pages at your blog.
Nammi 18/1/21 05:38: whats nutritional yeast is it like marmite or something totally different? pasta looks yumm.
Angie's Recipes 18/1/21 06:22: @Nammi
It is an inactive form of the yeast strain known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It's the same strain of yeast bakers use to leaven bread, except it's been pasteurized to dry out the yeast in order to extract its nutritional benefits. You can check more information on wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast)
Heidi | The Frugal Girls 18/1/21 23:01: Your homemade Hazelnut Pesto is dynamite. I love the fresh herb mix you chose, it really adds such a beautiful touch to the pesto!
foodtravelandwine 19/1/21 02:07: Nice combination!....I never thought about it...it looks absolutely delicious!!.......Abrazotes, Marcela
Raymund 19/1/21 23:53: Nice to see you used Nutritional Yeast, very few people know its capabilities, its like MSG in a better way, it gives a lot of umami.
SavoringTime in the Kitchen 20/1/21 00:00: I've not seen spelt pasta offered here but I will be sure to check next time I go grocery shopping! Love the combination of flavors in this appealing dish!
Izaa 20/1/21 10:01: this dish looks delicious
Angie's Recipes 20/1/21 15:51: @SavoringTime in the Kitchen Susan, I got them from ALDI.
Pam 21/1/21 19:05: Such a tasty & healthy meal.
tigerfish 22/1/21 21:27: What can be better than homemade pesto with hazelnut!