Pasta with Peas and Pesto
Description: 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**
- ⅓ cup to ½ 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.