A creamy pesto pasta sauce made without cooking combines peas, spinach, and basil. A main meal can be made by adding chicken or shrimp.
| Prep Time: | 5 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 25 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked pasta
- 1 (15 ounce) can Del Monte® Sweet Peas, drained
- 1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for optional topping
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Chopped fresh tomatoes
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, place peas, spinach, basil, Parmesan, olive oil, walnuts, garlic and salt and pepper in a blender or food processor.
- Two minutes before pasta is done, ladle out 1/2 cup hot pasta cooking water and add to blender. Pulse until smooth, scraping sides and adding additional pasta water by the tablespoon, if needed.
- When pasta is done, drain lightly and return to pot. Add sauce and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese and tomatoes, if desired.
- VARIATIONS: To make a main dish, prepare recipe as directed, except:
- Shrimp – Add fresh or frozen peeled shrimp, thawed to boiling pasta water 3 minutes before pasta is done. When pink, drain and toss with sauce.
- Chicken – Top prepared Sweet Pea Pesto Pasta with chopped cooked chicken before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 454 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 66 g |
| Cholesterol | 4 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 397 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 15 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Quite good. Not too much flavor but that is too be expected for a pesto dish. Used dried basil instead of the fresh basil the recipe called for and would not recommend that switch, felt a bit gritty.
Excellent dish!