Pea and Parsley Pesto
This dinner was so fresh and light tasting! I froze the extra pesto in ice cube trays so next time I need a meal I can pop a couple pesto cubes into some pasta!
This pea and parsley pesto is amazing and it tasted just right with the wide linguine noodles. I found this delicious recipe on one of my favorite websites, MarthaStewart.com. I modified it slightly to suit my family’s tastes and to make more servings. I also used almonds instead of walnuts. I’ve tried them both and they are excellent.
Happy Cooking! ~ Gena
Pea and Parsley Pesto Linguine
Ingredients:
Makes 6 servings
- 4 cups frozen peas **
- 1 cup packed fresh parsley leaves **
- 1 cup almonds, toasted
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving **
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil **
- 1 t. sea salt **
- fresh ground pepper to taste **
- 16 ounces linguine **
** Ingredients are used in other recipes from This Week’s Menu, starred to help in your planning. Types of cheese, broth and alcohol may vary. 
Directions:
- To toast almonds, preheat oven to 350 F. Spread on a cookie sheet in a thin layer and toast until fragrant, about 8 min.
- Meanwhile, fill a glass or microwave-proof bowl or a large skillet with a little water and 1 cup peas. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until just tender.
- In a food processor, combine cooked peas, parsley, almonds, Parmesan, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon water. Pulse until smooth. With machine running, slowly add oil until incorporated, about 10-20 seconds.
- In a large pan, bring water and a sprinkle of salt to boil. Cook pasta until al dente, adding 1 cup peas 30 seconds before end of cooking. Save 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Add pesto to drained peas and pasta (you will not need all the pesto, save the extra for Parmesan Crusted Pesto Grilled Cheese.) Slowly add a little of the pasta water to thin the pesto and make a creamy sauce.
- Serve pasta with fresh grated Parmesan.
Enjoy!