Pasta, pesto and peas is a bright, flavorful and healthy side dish that's perfect for spring and summer.
The creamy spinach-pesto mixture coats every bite. It's make-ahead friendly, too, so it's great for potlucks and parties!
Today's recipe is one both my mom and I have made countless times. It's a scaled down and slightly healthier version of a recipe by Ina Garten that we adore.
It's bright, it's super flavorful and it's beautiful, too!
We've got tender cooked bow tie pasta tossed with a creamy pesto-spinach sauce and mixed with peas and Parmesan cheese.
What's not to love? Those ingredients play so well together.
And it's an easy one to prep in advance, which can be so helpful to have ready on long summer days. Or when you've got friends or family coming over. Or you're heading to a potluck.
OK, let's get to cooking.
Ingredient Notes:
Pasta: I use and love bow tie pasta for this recipe, but you could certainly substitute another shape. I think rotini, fusilli or penne would be the best options.
Pesto: Feel free to use homemade basil pesto or a store-bought jar, either works just fine. Tip: Cover the top of the container with plastic wrap and press it down onto the remaining pesto before refrigerating. This helps it last longer. And there's lots more ways to use pesto if you have extra.
Spinach: We are using frozen cooked spinach, not fresh. Make sure the spinach is completely thawed and squeezed of excess water so it doesn't make the pasta salad too watery.
Pine nuts: These add great crunch and texture, but I've made this salad before without them and it's still delicious. I've also subbed in chopped walnuts, since that's what I tend to use for making pesto anyway, and that worked great too.
Greek yogurt: This adds some protein and lots of good creaminess and tanginess. Depending on your tastes, you might not want or need the fresh lemon juice, so I've listed that as optional.
A note on timing: The pasta needs to be cooked and then cooled slightly, so please plan accordingly. (I've listed additional time as 20 minutes in the recipe card below to account for this.)
As for serving, this is a comprehensive side dish all on its own. You just need a main dish; grilled chicken or burgers or even salmon would all work well.
This is one of my favorite kind of summer dinners to put together: a healthy summer salad and a grilled protein. Done and done!
I hope you give this a try soon!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Pasta, Pesto & Peas
Ingredients
- 12 oz box bow tie pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup prepared pesto
- 1 (8-10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt (nonfat is fine)
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup pine nuts (or sub walnuts, chopped, or omit)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and place the pasta in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, toss to mix well and set aside to cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree the pesto and spinach until smooth. Add the Greek yogurt and puree again until well incorporated.
- Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta in the bowl. Add the Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, salt and black pepper. Mix very well, then taste and adjust seasonings if needed, adding lemon juice if desired.
- Serve at room temperature.
Save This Recipe
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
Nutrition
You might also love this Caprese pasta salad, creamy BLT pasta salad and this summer veggie pasta salad for more fresh pasta salad goodness. I also love this Mediterranean orzo salad ALL year long!
Leave a Reply