Green Pea Pesto

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Have you made this?

By Stacey Lawson
@slawson

I love pasta and always looking for new ways to enjoy pasta. I love green peas and as a child my mom always served green peas with meatballs and spaghetti, so I figured they'd make a great alternative to tomato sauce. Also a great vegetarian dish. It also a great way to get your kids to eat some greens in a different way.

Rating:

★★★★★ 1 vote

Comments:

3 Comments

Serves:

6-8

Prep:

15 Min

Cook:

10 Min

Method:

Food Processor

Ingredients

1 1/2 c: thawed, frozen green peas
1/2-3/4 c: olive oil
2-3 clove: garlic
1 c: parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
3/4 c: pecans ( lightly toasted in a dry fry pan)
1 Tbsp: lemon juice
: salt and pepper to taste
1 lb: pasta of choice (spaghetti, linguine, fettucine)

How to Make Green Pea Pesto

Step-by-Step

1Into a food processor add thawed green peas, about three tablespoons of olive oil and blend
2Add toasted pecans, garlic cloves, three or four more tablespoons of olive oil, and half the cheese. Pulse processor until blended.
3Add lemon juice, few more tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and rest of the cheese. Pulse processor until it is blended.
4At this point you should taste your pesto for flavor of garlic, salt, pepper. Add more of this if you prefer more. Also decide now if you want to add more oil. Your pesto should be thick.
5Cook your pasta according to package directions. Once cooked to your liking transfer pasta to a large mixing bowl, saving your pasta water.
6Add about a 1/4 cup of pesto and a serving spoon of pasta water to cooked pasta and mix. Add more pesto and pasta water until you have the amount to your liking on your pasta. Save the rest of your pesto for another time or spread it on toasted bread for a delicious snack.
7VARIATIONS;
You can thawed frozen spinach in place of peas. Also any type of nuts such as walnuts, pine nuts instead of pecans.
Another green you can use is baby arugula. It has a great peppery taste to it.