Pea and pesto pasta
With only a few simple ingredients and little effort, you can prepare this pasta with peas and pesto in under 30 minutes. It pairs well with pre-made pesto and is intended for frozen peas.
I like how simple this recipe is to make, requiring only one pot and one bowl. You'll start by heating up a sizable pot of salted water to boil for the noodles. Frozen peas can be swiftly defrosted in a colander by pouring cool water over them in the sink while you wait.
Combine olive oil, lemon, garlic, and Pecorino Romano cheese in a sauce. After that, we blend about half of the peas into the sauce while leaving the other half whole. Your dinner is almost ready when you add the warm pasta to the garlic to temper it and then stir in the pesto.
Choose a shorter pasta noodle that has crevices and nooks where the peas can grab themselves. There are several choices, including shells, trumpets, orecchiette, fusilli, farfalle, or papillon. Both strong gluten-free noodles and whole wheat noodles are suitable for this dish.
The frozen peas can either be placed in a colander and run under cool water for 3 to 6 minutes, or they can be defrosted in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
What dishes go well with this pea pasta?
Roasted vegetables that are colorful: While your pasta is cooking, roast these colorful vegetables. Better still, eat more vegetables!
Quick tomato salad: This tomato salad is easy to make and will make your meal of green spaghetti more interesting.
Use one of these oil-based dressings to improvise a green salad: Italian Dressing or Classic Vinaigrette.
Super Easy Arugula Salad You can also prepare my go-to arugula salad, which is honestly so easy to prepare that it only takes two minutes.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Category: Pasta
Method: Cooked
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Vegetarian
INGREDIENTS
4 crushed or finely chopped garlic cloves
Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, finely grated, with additional for garnish, 1/3 cup (1 ounce).
Extra virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup
Juiced and thinly cut circles of 1 lemon all of 2 lemons
optional 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
To taste, add salt and pepper.
2 to 3 cups of 10 to 16 ounces frozen peas that have fully thawed. 16 ounces of short
pasta.
13 cup to 12 cup of homemade or packed pesto
basil leaves fresh, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix the garlic, cheese, oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes (if using), a few pinches of salt, and a good amount of black pepper in a medium bowl.
Stir in the thawed peas after adding them. If necessary, taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Just half of the peas should be roughly mashed with the back of a fork; leave the other half intact.
After a big pot of salted water starts to a boiling, cook the pasta per the directions on the package. With a few generous spoonfuls of pesto, drain the pasta, add the peas, and toss. Taste, and if necessary, add more salt and pepper.
Before serving, sprinkle some cheese, basil, and lemon slices on top.
Nutrition:
Total Fat 20.8g 27%
Saturated Fat 3.8g
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.7g
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 0%
Cholesterol 4.9mg 2%
Sodium 307mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 65.3g 24%
Dietary Fiber 4.9g 17%
Sugars 5g
Protein 14.7g 29%
Cherry tomatoes can be added to anything after being roasted to produce an even sweeter, richer, more nuanced flavor. The rigatoni and melty mozzarella pearls with tons of fresh basil, lemon zest, and the most enticing, crunchy, toasted panko breadcrumbs are my favorite way to enjoy it. It's a flavorful, quick, vegetarian pasta dish that tastes great hot off the stove or at room temperature.
The vibrant cherry tomato pesto is this pasta's main attraction. A powerful sauce is created by combining roasted tomatoes, toasted almonds, umami-rich parmesan, and basil.
You will need the following ingredients for the pesto:
the cherry tomato
the oil of olives
Almonds, sliced
Garlic
clean basil
Salt Kosher cheese Parmesan
To make pasta, you'll need:
Rigatoni or any other short, tubular pasta
Panko breadcrumbs
Garlic
the oil of olives
salt kosher
Flakes of red pepper
pearls of mozzarella
Lemon
Basil
The garlicky breadcrumbs are made by: Add the olive oil, Panko, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt to a medium skillet that is already heated over medium-low heat. There should be no dry Panko particles after a thorough blending. Cook the breadcrumbs until they are equally browned and aromatic.
Make the pasta. Rigatoni should be cooked as directed on the package, so bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add to a large serving bowl after draining.
Assemble the Pasta
Pasta and pesto (there will be leftover pesto) should be combined by tossing. Add the mozzarella pearls next, and stir once more. Top each serving with fresh lemon zest, basil, red pepper flakes, and garlicky breadcrumbs before serving.
Pasta variations with tomato pesto
Although I adore this pasta just the way it is, you can easily change or add to it in a variety of ways.
How to Store Pesto
Pesto leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to a week in a jar with a tight-fitting cover.
Tips: Drizzle the pesto with large amounts of extra virgin olive oil. To prevent it from turning dark, this will create an oily seal. Just add a stir before using the sauce.
Course Main Dish
Italian Cuisine
15 Minutes to Prepare,
40 Minutes to Cook
Time total: 55 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 994 kcal
Ingredients
For making tomato pesto:
Cherry tomatoes, 12 ounces,
and 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Slivered almonds
1 crushed and peeled garlic clove
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
1 tsp. kosher salt
Grated Parmesan cheese, 1⁄2 a cup
for making the pasta
Rigatoni or another short pasta, 1 lb.
Panko breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup
1 grated or crushed garlic clove
Olive oil, extra virgin, two tablespoons
kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lemon, for zesting (approximately half will be zest).
1 cup pearlized mozzarella
1 cup of freshly chopped or broken basil, for serving
Instructions
Make the pesto. Preheat your oven to 400°F. A sheet pan with a rim should be lined with foil. Place the tomatoes in a single layer, top with 1 tablespoon of the oil, and stir them with your hands to evenly distribute the oil. 20 minutes of roasting are followed by cooling.
Toast your nuts while the tomatoes are roasting. They should simmer for about five minutes on low heat, stirring frequently to ensure equal toasting.
Garlic and roasted almonds put into a food processor; pulse until powdered. Add the basil, Parmesan, and salt once the roasted tomatoes have cooled. Using a spatula on the food processor's sides, pulse everything together thoroughly (this can be chunkier if you choose, but I like mine very smooth). While the processor is running, drizzle the olive oil through the shot until the mixture is emulsified and smooth.
Rigatoni should be prepared as directed on the package, which calls for boiling a large pot of generously salted water. Add to a large serving bowl after draining.
Toast the breadcrumbs as the pasta cooks. Olive oil and garlic are added to a medium skillet that has been preheated over medium-low heat. They are cooked for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Salt, red pepper flakes, and Panko should all be added at this point, and the mixture should be thoroughly mixed. Cook, watching carefully that nothing burns, until the breadcrumbs are equally golden brown and fragrant (approximately 5 minutes). Grate the lemon zest into the breadcrumb mixture after removing from the heat.
Toss the pasta and 1 1/2 cups of the pesto together well. Then, toss in the mozzarella pearls one more. Divide among 4 serving bowls, then top with additional fresh lemon zest, basil, red pepper flakes, and up to 1 tablespoon of Panko breadcrumbs.
Notes
You might have extra breadcrumbs depending on how much you add to each dish of spaghetti. If you do, preserve some for other pasta meals or sprinkle it over salads or roasted vegetables.
Pesto leftovers can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 994kcal;
Carbohydrates: 105g;
Protein: 29g;
Fat: 52g;
Saturated Fat: 9g;
Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g;
Monounsaturated Fat: 30g;
Trans Fat: 0.003g;
Cholesterol: 20mg;
Sodium: 1072mg;
Potassium: 739mg;
Fiber: 8g;
Sugar: 8g;
Vitamin A: 1400IU
Vitamin C: 44mg;
Calcium: 326mg;
Iron: 4mg;
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