Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta

5 stars average

This Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta is the perfect dish to serve with grilled vegetables, chicken or salmon. Can be served cold, warm or at room temperature.

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time17 minutes

Lemony Pesto Pasta with Peas - The Lemon Bowl
Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta - The Lemon Bowl

This Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta is the perfect dish to serve with grilled vegetables, chicken, or salmon. Can be served cold, warm or at room temperature.
Earlier in the week, I shared my go-to Basil Pesto Recipe as well as tips for freezing. My Lemony Pesto Pasta with Peas came together when I was coming up with a quick and easy lunch for my toddler. Packed with protein, fiber, and plenty of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat from the olive oil – this is a pasta dish that not only satisfies but is good for you too. 

Pesto for the Freezer - The Lemon Bowl

Orecchiette is my favorite type of pasta for this dish because the ear-shaped noodles have little crevices that hold the pesto perfectly. Penne, bow-ties or good old fashioned macaroni would also work well.

Green Peas - The Lemon Bowl

Another time saving tip is to cook the peas in the same salty water that you’re using to cook the pasta. This method is great for broccoli and greens beans as well and saves you from having to cook the peas in another dish. We used fresh peas because they are in season right now but frozen also taste great.

Your fork is waiting.

Lemony Pesto Pasta with Peas - The Lemon Bowl

Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta

5 stars average
This Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta is the perfect dish to serve with grilled vegetables, chicken or salmon. Can be served cold, warm or at room temperature.
PREP: 5 minutes
COOK: 12 minutes
TOTAL: 17 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
 

  • 8 oz whole wheat orecchiette (or any short pasta)
  • 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
  • ¼ cup prepared pesto
  • ¼ cup fresh basil (thinly sliced)
  • 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Add peas to the pot of water and pasta when there are 2 minutes left in the cooking time.
  • Drain pasta and peas in a strainer and place back in the warm pot. Add pesto, fresh basil, parmesan, lemon zest and chili flakes.
  • Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly before serving.

Notes

This recipe can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcalCarbohydrates: 48.5gProtein: 14.7gFat: 19.9gSaturated Fat: 3.8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16.1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 100mgFiber: 8.4gSugar: 2.4g

27 thoughts on “Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta”

  1. That is the * cutest * pasta I have ever seen! Is it made from scratch or where did you buy it? I’ve always loved orecchiette, except how sore my thumb gets when making it!

  2. I think I’ll make a big batch of this for a party we’re having next weekend, esp since I can make it the day ahead of time! If it’s a side dish and not a main, do you think if I multiply by 4 that’ll be good enough for 30ish ppl? I know your serving size is 4 but I figured that’s for a main dish portion!

  3. I made a variation of this today. I ate all 8 ounces by myself. :'(

    And if you don’t mind, I’ll post my variation in the summer! Trying to get some posts done ahead of time. :)

    The rating stars don’t work in Firefox, by the way!

    1. I laughed so hard when I read this comment!!! Pasta is so easy for me to eat 8 ounces of… ;) So glad you enjoyed it and I can’t wait to see your variation!! Thanks for the heads up about rating stars – I’ll put the hubby on it! haha Happy New Year!

  4. I haven’t left a comment on here before? After obsessing about it for days? That’s weird.

    Anyway, just made it and I LOVE it! Thank you so much! My husband loved it too and we’ll have it again really soon. I just need to make a bigger batch of pesto next time so I don’t have to repeat that step all the time.

    PS – I doubled the cheese. Left out the peas, too. Muahaha.

    1. Liz DellaCroce

      You didn’t miss it!! Sorry about that – I updated the recipe to show the number of servings (four!) :)

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