Light, fresh, springtime pasta with pea pesto

Let’s forget about the meat for once and focus on the vegetables. A good, simple vegetable dish using minimal ingredients is a refreshing change to our usual diet. This pasta is economical, easy to prepare and just plain good.

Going meatless from time to time feels like giving our bodies a chance to breathe. We need it once in a while for a healthier life. A trip to the farmers market or just down the frozen vegetable section of the supermarket to save time can yield this simple pesto that you can mix with pasta. It’s easy to prepare, and it doesn’t require much attention to cooking. Just blend your ingredients with one button, and you have your meal.

Choosing the right pasta can be confusing when preparing pasta dishes. My favorite shape is the orecchiette because it catches all the sauce, thus making the dish tastier. Feel free to use whatever shape you want, and enjoy this quick and easy recipe.

Pasta with pea, sage and pecorino pesto recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 cups peas (frozen or fresh)
• 6 large sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons almonds, shaved or crushed
• 1/8 cup grated pecorino cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces orecchiette pasta (can be replaced with other kinds of pasta)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, boil some water for the peas. When it boils, add the peas, and cook for about 6 minutes. Drain.
2. Using an immersion or stick blender, smooth the peas, sage, almonds, pecorino, salt, pepper and olive oil to a cream. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan on medium-high heat, boil some water for the pasta. When the water starts to boil, add the salt and pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta, but leave about 1/2 a cup of water to add to the pasta with the pesto.
4. Mix the cooked pasta and pesto. Gradually add some of the water you used to cook the pasta. The amount depends on how creamy you want it to be. You don’t need to use up all the water.
5. Drizzle with olive oil, and serve immediately.

More pesto recipes

Homemade basil pesto over penne
Pasta with arugula pesto and grilled chicken
Chipotle pesto pasta with avocado