Pasta with Pesto and Spring Peas
with strawberry-arugula salad

Name: Pasta with Pesto and Spring Peas
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Pine nuts; 4 cups Basil, loosely packed; 2 cloves Garlic, peeled; 2 Tbsp Cheese, parmesan (plus more for serving if desired); 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/2 cup Oil, olive; 1 Lemon, juice of; 3/4 lb Pasta, shells (try a fresh pasta for a fun change); 1 cup Peas, frozen; 1 small bulb Fennel, thinly sliced; 1/2 pint Strawberries, sliced; 1 1/2 Tbsp Vinegar, balsamic; 1 tsp Mustard, Dijon; 3 Tbsp Oil, olive; 6 oz Arugula; 1/4 cup Pecans

Active: 30 min Total: 30 min

Original

Homemade pesto is easy, quick, and oh so tasty, and it coats our pasta and peas with lots of summery flavor. Feel free to experiment with the taste of your pesto by adding less or more of any of the ingredients. Enjoy this pasta with one of our favorite summer salad combos - peppery arugula + sweet strawberries and fennel + tart balsamic make for a dynamic and delicious salad combination.

Cuisines

European - Mediterranean

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Pasta with Pesto:

Pine nuts - 1/2 cup
Basil, loosely packed - 4 cups
Garlic - 2 cloves , peeled
Cheese, parmesan - 2 Tbsp (plus more for serving if desired)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil, olive - 1/2 cup
Lemon - 1 , juice of
Pasta, shells - 3/4 lb (try a fresh pasta for a fun change)
Peas, frozen - 1 cup

Strawberry Arugula Salad:

Fennel - 1 small bulb , thinly sliced
Strawberries - 1/2 pint , sliced
Vinegar, balsamic - 1 1/2 Tbsp
Mustard, Dijon - 1 tsp
Oil, olive - 3 Tbsp
Arugula - 6 oz
Pecans - 1/4 cup

Prep

Pine nuts (optional step) - Toast on a frying pan over medium-high heat until golden brown. It's also completely fine to skip this step.
Make pesto - Pulse basil leaves, pine nuts (reserve a few for garnish), garlic, parmesan, and salt in a food processor. Drizzle in olive oil until you get a sauce-like consistency. Squeeze in juice of 1/2 a lemon and season to taste with salt & pepper.
Fennel / Strawberries - Prep as directed

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Make

Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Salt heavily (that water should taste like the ocean!) and add pasta. Cook until al dente, tender but not soggy. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup (118 ml) of the salted pasta water.
Return saucepan to medium heat. Add in peas and cook until warmed, ~2 minutes. Add in pasta with reserved pasta water. Toss with desired amount of pesto and another squeeze of lemon juice. Garnish with parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
If you have leftover pesto, freeze or use it as a sandwich spread or omelet filling later in the week.
Whisk together balsamic, mustard, and oil. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Toss with fennel, strawberries, arugula, and pecans.

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