Pasta With Chopped Pesto and Peas
Published April 20, 2022
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ½cup raw walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, almonds or a combination
- 2ounces Parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1large garlic clove
- 2packed cups soft herbs, such as basil, parsley, mint or arugula
- ½cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1pound curly pasta, such as casarecce or fusilli
- 2cups (10 ounces) frozen peas
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
880 calories; 42 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 27 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 100 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 598 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a small or medium skillet over medium, toast nuts, shaking the skillet occasionally until browned (try one to see), 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to cool.
- Step 2
As the nuts cool, into a large bowl, grate the Parmesan on the small holes of a box grater (or pulse chunks in a blender).
- Step 3
Add the garlic clove and a pinch of salt to the pile of nuts and coarsely chop the nuts and garlic together. Add a handful of the herbs and another pinch of salt, and coarsely chop. (Opt for forceful, purposeful chops as opposed to soft, timid ones.) Toss and smash the mixture every few chops. Repeat with the remaining herbs, salting at each step, until a wet, coarse paste forms. Stir into the cheese, then stir in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Step 4
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the peas to the pasta. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain. Add the pasta and peas to the pesto and stir to combine. Add pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper, more oil and more Parmesan.
Private Notes
Comments
Oh, this was marvelous! After a long week of teaching, making this was a balm for a weary soul, both physically and tastefully. Used the herbs I had: parsley, chives, and lots of dill. Almonds and walnuts. Chop, chop, chop, add a bit of salt and more herbs. Chop, chop, chop. The physical chopping let the strain of the week melt away. A tossed salad, a glass of wine. The first bite. Nirvana.
Nice recipe, but too many unnecessary steps. Use toasted slivered almonds, grated cheese and a food processor or blender if you have one. If you don’t, use a mortar and pestle. It’s called pesto for a reason. Chopping all those ingredients on a cutting board would be a mess.
What? There are plenty of recipes you can find that employ a blender or food processor. The whole point of this one is that it is done by hand. I find chopping, and pounding in a mortar and pestle, to be quite satisfying.
This should be called Miracle pasta because you feel so fantastic after eating it - must be the antioxidants in the walnuts and basil!
If you don’t like reading variations on the recipe…don’t read this. I love the idea of chopped vs ground up pesto. I used traditional basil pesto ingredients, with some garlic scapes I had frozen, but that’s about the only part I was faithful to. Used gnocchi instead of pasta. Spinach instead of peas. And some sliced up smoked salmon as well. It was fantastic! And I think I might even eat it cold for lunch tomorrow.
I used fresh snap peas (blanched and chopped)and threw in a few sweet 100’s tomatoes. Yum