Spring Pea Mint Pesto Pasta (Print Version)

A fresh pasta dish combining sweet peas, mint pesto, and crunchy pine nuts for bright flavors.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz dried pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or penne)
02 - Salt for pasta water

→ Pesto

03 - 1½ cups fresh or frozen peas, thawed if frozen
04 - ½ cup fresh mint leaves, packed
05 - ½ cup fresh basil leaves, packed
06 - ⅓ cup toasted pine nuts, plus extra for serving
07 - ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
08 - 1 small garlic clove
09 - ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
10 - ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
11 - Juice of ½ lemon

→ To Serve

12 - Freshly ground black pepper
13 - Extra Parmesan cheese
14 - Reserved peas (optional)

# How-To:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until golden and fragrant, about 2–3 minutes. Set aside.
03 - In a food processor, combine the peas, mint, basil, ⅓ cup pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, and salt. Pulse until finely chopped.
04 - With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. If the pesto is too thick, add 1–2 tablespoons reserved pasta water until desired consistency is reached.
05 - Return the drained pasta to the pot. Add the pesto and toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce evenly coats the pasta.
06 - Serve immediately, topped with extra pine nuts, black pepper, and more Parmesan. Garnish with reserved peas if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The pesto comes together in under five minutes and keeps for days in the fridge
  • Its surprisingly luxurious for something so simple and light
  • You can swap in whatever pasta shape you have lurking in the back of the pantry
02 -
  • The pesto thickens up in the fridge, so always loosen it with a bit of olive oil or pasta water before tossing with leftovers
  • Frozen peas work perfectly fine and sometimes taste sweeter than fresh, just let them thaw completely
  • Reserve more pasta water than you think you need, its the secret to a silky sauce that actually clings to the noodles
03 -
  • Grate your own Parmesan from a wedge for the best melting and flavor
  • Taste the pesto before adding salt, since Parmesan is already quite salty
  • If the pesto tastes too sharp, let it sit for ten minutes, the flavors mellow out

Go Back