Pesto, Peas and Parmesan Pasta
Pesto, Peas and Parmesan, oh my! Simple, colorful, flavorful and ingredients you likely have on hand. Whip this beauty up tonight.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 box flat lasagna noodles or long noodle of choice
1 bag frozen peas
3 cups fresh basil, stems removed
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup nuts of choice (I like to use walnuts, pine nuts or slivered almonds; ensure nuts are unsalted and can be roasted)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup cup olive oil
Olive oil, for finishing
Parmesan cheese, grated, for finishing
Lemon zest, for finishing
Directions:
Bring a large pot of liberally salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 1 minute shy of package directions, or until slightly al dente.
While pasta is cooking, prepare pesto. Combine basil through Parmesan cheese in a food processor and blend until well combined. Drizzle olive oil through lid while food processor is running to help emulsify. Blend until smooth. Scoop basil pesto into bottom of large pasta serving bowl.
Once pasta is done cooking, reserve 1 cup pasta water from noodles. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, gently remove cooked noodles and add directly to serving bowl, on top of pesto. The longer noodles break easily, so work carefully, trying to keep them while, if possible. Do not drain water.
Add peas to boiling water and cook 3-4 minutes or until just warm throughout. You want the peas to remain firm yet gently cooked. Drain and add to pasta bowl.
Gently toss pasta, pesto and peas. If the pesto is too thick, add a bit of the reserved water to help loosen the sauce.
Plate pasta. Finish with drizzle of olive oil, lemon zest and freshly grated Parmesan.
If desired, add simple roasted chicken or favorite protein. A simple grilled lemon shrimp would be great, too!
