The sauce for this simple pea pesto pasta is made with incredibly convenient frozen peas, arugula, lemon, garlic, scallions, Parmesan and olive oil. Stir it into fusilli or penne, shapes that will really hold on to the pesto.
After making it through the cold of winter and months of root vegetables, you would think the only thing that I would be excited about would be the start of farmer’s market season and everything fresh that the warm half of the year has to offer. While that is true, there is one spring veggie that I am more likely to start with frozen rather than fresh. Can you guess what it is?
Peas, of course!
So you might be thinking then why not eat them all the time if you buy them from the freezer case? I do cook with peas year round for stir-fries, but when it comes to this pea pesto pasta, I just don’t enjoy it as much as when I do in season from March through June.
The pesto is a combination of thawed peas, garlic, scallions, arugula, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper that I puree in a food processor and toss with cooked noodles. Easy peasy. (Sorry. I just couldn’t resist.)
On bags of frozen peas you often see the words “flash frozen.” This just means that these green peas are picked and frozen at their peak level of ripeness. They’re not only a win on flavor, but they’re also a budget friendly vegetable.
Nestled snugly in their pods, English peas are incredibly charming when you see them at farmers markets, but they have a fraction of the shelf life. Also, you have to pod them, so they require more work. At least once during the season, I do buy them fresh and make a delicate salad with things that complement peas like, leafy greens, fresh mint, shaved pecorino and lemon.
If pesto could have a number 1 fan, I would be it, or at least I would tie with my mom. With that said, I do like to bend the rules on what’s officially pesto. You will see in this recipe that I don’t include nuts. I find that it doesn’t need them for taste or texture. Since the pesto is mostly peas with arugula instead of basil leaves, it is already thicker, so I don’t want to further thicken it with pine nuts or walnuts.
Also, I know there are a lot of people who have nut allergies. If you or someone you are cooking for happens to fall into this group, don’t skip pesto because you think you are obligated to use nuts. You’re not. Have confidence to stray from the traditional recipe and look at it as a starting point.
This is what you need:
This pea pesto pasta is wonderful for a spring – summer lunch or dinner. Serve it with a simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette. You can also pair it with a side like roasted asparagus or red cabbage.
If you want to add a protein, you can serve it with roasted chicken or stir grilled shrimp right into the pasta.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. You can warm them in a skillet on a stove with a little olive oil or zap them in the microwave. Or eat leftovers cold like a pasta salad.
You don’t just have to think of pesto as a sauce for pasta. Spread it on crostini or as the base for avocado toast instead of mashed avocado and top it with roasted tomatoes. You can also stir it into sturdy cooked grains like barley or farro.
Udon Noodle Stir-Fry with Asparagus, Mushrooms and Peas
Roasted Asparagus Soup
Chickpea Spinach Pasta
Carrot Salad with Lemon Tahini Vinaigrette
Strawberry Cucumber Pasta Salad
Pistachio Goat Cheese Strawberry Salad
Sesame Tofu Asparagus
The sauce for this simple pea pesto pasta is made with frozen peas, arugula, lemon, garlic, scallions, Parmesan and olive oil. Stir it into fusilli or penne, shapes that will really hold on to the pesto.
The recipe makes about 1-1/3 cups pesto.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Keywords: pea pesto, pea pesto pasta
Eager to try this! Am thinking that using a bit of canned adobo chipotle pepper (maybe just the sauce) in place of pepper flakes would also be good.
Love how you eat. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★