Pasta with Peas and Pesto
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Cooked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
This easy pasta recipe features peas and pesto. It’s made with basic ingredients (frozen peas and store-bought pesto) and tastes fantastic! Keep this recipe in your back pocket for busy weeknights. Recipes serves 6.
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
- ⅓ cup (1 ounce) finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons, 1 juiced and 1 thinly sliced into rounds
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 10 to 16 ounces (2 to 3 cups) frozen peas, completely thawed*
- 16 ounces short-cut pasta**
- 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup pesto, homemade or jarred
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, cheese, oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes (if using), a couple pinches of salt, and plenty of black pepper.
- Add the thawed peas and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Use the back of a fork to roughly mash just half of the peas, and leave the other half whole.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and toss the pasta with the smashed peas and a few large spoonfuls of pesto. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Top with the basil, lemon slices, and a light grating of cheese before serving.
Notes
Recipe lightly adapted from Take It Easy by Gaby Dalkin.
*How to thaw frozen peas: Defrost the frozen peas in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight, or simply place them in a colander and run cool water over them for 3 to 6 minutes.
**Pasta suggestions: Ideally, choose a shorter pasta noodle that has little nooks and crannies that can catch the peas. Options include reginetti (shown), mafaldine, fusilli, farfalle or papillon, shells, trumpets, or orecchiette.
Change it up: Dollops of ricotta cheese are a nice addition. This recipe is easily halved.
Make it gluten free: Substitute your favorite sturdy gluten-free noodle.
Make it vegan: Substitute vegan pesto (or make your own with this recipe but omit the cheese), omit the cheese and top with a generous sprinkle of my Vegan Parmesan Cheese.
▸ Nutrition Information
Recipe from Cookie and Kate: https://cookieandkate.com/pasta-with-peas-recipe/