Spring Pea Pesto Pasta
Spring Pea Pesto Pasta, a simple pasta with pesto and spring peas that’s tasty served warm or cold.
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Why I Love This Recipe
One of the things I love most about spring is fresh herbs and the first spring peas of the season. So I decided to combine these two spring loves into one dish: a vegetable-packed pasta featuring green pesto and green peas.
The beauty of this simple pasta is that it can be served cold as a pasta salad, warm as a the event main, or as a side dish. I like to make it with either whole wheat or a legume-based pasta like lentil or chickpea for extra plant-based protein. And if you’re feeling fancy, you can also add a cup of chickpeas or white beans to add even more protein.
You can use premade pesto from the store, or you can make your own pea pesto sauce. Both result in a tasty herb and pea pasta that’s perfect for spring.
I hope you give it a try!
What You’ll Need
Step-by-step photos of how to make it
Step One: Cook pasta
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Typically this means boiling salted water and cooking pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes.
Step Two: Mix pasta with pesto sauce and vegetables
When pasta is done cooking, drain it and add it to a large mixing bowl. Add pesto sauce, peas, and cherry tomatoes and then mix to combine. Top with thinly sliced basil and a squeeze of lemon. Taste and add a sprinkle of salt, as needed.
Step Three: Serve hot or cold
If serving hot, serve immediately. If serving cold as a pasta salad, simply cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate until chilled, about 30-40 minutes.
Spring Pea Pesto Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta fusilli, rotini, see notes
- 1 cup pesto sauce or pea pesto sauce
- 1 cup peas fresh or frozen
- 1 cup cherry tomoatoes halved
- ¼ cup fresh basil thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice from about 1 lemon
- 1 pinch salt to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Cook pasta according to package instructions. Typically this means boiling salted water and cooking pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes.1 pound pasta
- Mix pasta: When pasta is done cooking, drain it and add it to a large mixing bowl. Add pesto sauce, peas, and cherry tomatoes and then mix to combine. Top with thinly sliced basil and a squeeze of lemon. Taste and add a sprinkle of salt, as needed.1 cup pesto sauce, 1 cup peas, 1 cup cherry tomoatoes, ¼ cup fresh basil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 pinch salt
- Serve hot or cold: If serving hot, serve immediately. If serving cold as a pasta salad, simply cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate until chilled, about 30-40 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
MY Favorite
Pesto Pasta Recipes
We loved how easy and quick this pesto pasta recipe was to prepare. We served it hot for dinner, then the next day for lunch we served the leftovers cold and added hard boiled egg. It was delicious both hot and cold.