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Pesto Pasta Primavera | Fork Knife Swoon

Pesto Pasta Primavera

  • Author: Fork Knife Swoon
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 4 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Pesto

  • 1 cup fresh peas
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup almonds, roughly-chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
  • kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

For the Pasta

  • 3 cups dry tubular pasta (I used casarecce here, but you could also use penne, ziti, rigatoni or fusilli)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
  • 1 cup fresh peas
  • 810 asparagus spears, trimmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 34 green onion stalks, white and green parts, thinly-sliced
  • kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
  • Optional: fresh basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, make the pesto. Combine the peas, basil, almonds and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse to combine. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until the pesto is smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until it begins to soften, about a minute or two. Add the peas and asparagus and cook until the vegetables begin to just soften, but still retain their bright color, about 1-2 minutes. Add the onion, stir to combine, and season with the salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the vegetable mixture with the pasta and garnish with grated Parmesan and chopped, fresh basil, as desired. Serve warm.