Pea Pesto Pasta
Pea Pesto Pasta is a creamy, flavor-packed pasta dish. A delicious pea pesto (vegan, by the way, if you want it to be with a few substitutions) is combined with hot pasta (maybe you’re feeling like gluten-free? That works beautifully here), arugula and sun-dried tomatoes to give this recipe just the pop it needs!
And it’s ready in 30 minutes!
Make the pesto by combining in a food processor basil, parsley, green peas, garlic, toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, parmesan cheese and sea salt. Blend it and then pour in the olive oil with the machine running. Scrape down the sides of the processor and continue processing until the pesto is nice and creamy.
Boil the pasta until it’s al dente, drain it and set aside.
Heat a large suacepan and add olive oil, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté until the garlic is fragrant and turn off the heat. Add the pasta and coat it with the tomato mixture.
Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl, and 3/4 of the pea pesto and the arugula. Toss to combine it all and serve it with additional pesto on the side. I like to garnish it with additional grated parmesan, toasted pine nuts and parsley.
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Pea Pesto Pasta
Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Pesto:
- 1 & 1/2 cups packed basil leaves
- 1/2 cup packed flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 1 cup green peas (if frozen, thawed)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (plus more for serving)
- 1 medium lemon, juiced (approximately 2 tbsp)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (plus more for serving) or vegan parmesan cheese
- 1 pinch sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Pasta:
- 10 ounces pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup loosely packed arugula
Instructions
Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full with water, salt generously, and bring to a boil.
In the meantime, prepare pesto. To a food processor, add basil, parsley, peas, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice, vegan parmesan cheese, and sea salt. Mix to combine. While the machine is running, stream in olive oil through the spout.
Continue blending, scraping down sides as needed, until creamy and fully combined. If it has trouble blending, add a bit more olive oil or water. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more lemon juice for acidity/brightness, vegan parmesan for cheesy flavor, salt for saltiness, or peas for sweetness.
Next add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package instructions. Be sure not to overcook, and drain when noodles are ‘al dente’ and still have a slight bite to them. Return to pan off heat and set aside.
Once your pasta is drained, heat a large saucepan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant but not yet browned.
Turn off heat and remove skillet from burner, then add cooked pasta and toss to coat.
Transfer to a serving platter or mixing bowl and add 3/4 of pea pesto and the arugula. Toss to combine.
Serve warm with additional pesto on the side, and garnish generously with additional parsley, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese.
Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep in the refrigerator up to 2-3 days. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature.
Recipe by Minimalist Baker
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