Homemade pesto is a great way to nosh on some fresh, nutritious greens. But most recipes drown out all that goodness with various artery-clogging hard cheeses. Let the flavor of the veggies shine through in this lightened up version of summer pesto that’s ready in a few short minutes.
Ingredients
1 pound uncooked pasta of choice
2 cups fresh or frozen sweet peas
2 cups roughly chopped basil (tightly packed)
¾ cup pine nuts
½ cup roughly chopped chives (or green onions)
3 – 4 large garlic cloves
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Cook pasta per package instructions.
- While pasta is cooking, prepare the pesto. If using fresh peas, boil them for 4 – 5 minutes until completely cooked. If using frozen peas, thaw them by running them under warm water.
- Place all ingredients (except pasta and 1 tablespoon olive oil) in a food processor and blend until it forms a thick paste. Add a small amount of pasta cooking water to achieve desired consistency, if necessary.
- When pasta is cooked, drain and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add in pesto and mix thoroughly so pesto is evenly distributed.
- Serve hot immediately.
Tip: if not using all of the pesto immediately, place it in a storage container, smooth out the top, and place a thin layer of olive oil on top to keep the pesto from browning.
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