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Home » Vegetarian Recipes » Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta

Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta

About 2 minutes to read / 27 Comments

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Jump to Recipe

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.
Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta - The Lemon BowlEarlier 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 BowlOrecchiette 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 BowlAnother 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

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.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pasta dish, pesto
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 399kcal
Author: Liz Della Croce

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz whole wheat orecchiette or any short pasta
  • 1 cup green peas fresh or frozen
  • 1/4 cup prepared pesto
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 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 Facts:

Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.5g | Protein: 14.7g | Fat: 19.9g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16.1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 100mg | Fiber: 8.4g | Sugar: 2.4g
Get Featured On Instagram!Did you make this recipe? If so tag @thelemonbowl using the hashtag #thelemonbowl to be featured!

 

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About Liz Della Croce

Liz is the founder and creator of The Lemon Bowl. With an emphasis on healthy eating and living, Liz’s recipes and food photography have been featured in various publications including the cover of Women’s World magazine, Good Housekeeping, Shape, Real Simple, Cosmopolitan, Food Network Blog, Huffington Post, TODAY Food, Foodgawker and The Cooking Channel. Read More…

Previous Post: « Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls with Bacon
Next Post: Basil Pesto Hummus »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes

    April 27, 2015 at 7:47 am

    I love the look of this and that you chose orecchietti to cradle the lovely green pesto sauce. Yummy idea Liz!

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      April 27, 2015 at 4:17 pm

      “cradle the pesto” <-- makes me happy

      Reply
  2. Jenn

    August 24, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      August 25, 2014 at 11:28 am

      It’s store bought – Delallo!!! I have never made homemade pasta!! I wish. :)

      Reply
  3. [email protected]

    March 09, 2014 at 8:58 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      March 10, 2014 at 8:20 am

      This would be GREAT for a party!! For 30 people I would probably multiply the recipe by 6. It’s always better to have leftovers than not enough right? Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Erin @ Texanerin Baking

    December 30, 2013 at 1:35 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      January 01, 2014 at 9:09 am

      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!

      Reply
  5. Caroline @ chocolate & carrots

    August 14, 2013 at 6:28 am

    Now, this is something I think I could get my son to eat! Yum!

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      August 14, 2013 at 9:22 am

      My son ate two huge bowls of it when I made it!!! Would be great with broccoli too. :)

      Reply
  6. Erin @ Texanerin Baking

    August 13, 2013 at 8:11 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      August 13, 2013 at 8:46 am

      I’m so glad you liked it!!!! I love that you doubled the cheese. ;-)

      Reply
  7. [email protected]

    August 11, 2013 at 10:12 pm

    Liz,
    I love the colors of your pasta dish–very vibrant. I so rarely think of peas, but you’ve got me hoping to get some in the farm share this summer.
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      August 12, 2013 at 8:05 am

      You are too sweet! I’ve been on a pea craze lately – just can’t resist them from the market. :)

      Reply
  8. Liz

    August 08, 2013 at 11:03 am

    Thanks Liz – Nice Recipe. Have a great day!

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      August 08, 2013 at 11:06 am

      You too Liz!

      Reply
  9. taylor @ taylormade

    August 08, 2013 at 10:27 am

    I nearly drooled on my keyboard when I saw you post the photo of this on instagram. it’s pretty much my perfect dish! can’t wait to try.

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      August 08, 2013 at 11:06 am

      It’s a really good one to have on hand – great with any veggies really! :)

      Reply
  10. Amy @ The Little Honey Bee

    August 08, 2013 at 7:23 am

    Yum! Did I miss this? But how many 1 cup servings does this make?!

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      August 08, 2013 at 8:33 am

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

      Reply
      • Amy @ The Little Honey Bee

        August 08, 2013 at 8:38 am

        Thank you so much!

  11. Putputt @ Putputt Eats

    August 08, 2013 at 3:26 am

    Wow, this looks so fresh and luscious! What a fantastic-looking dish! You can never go wrong with pesto. :-) Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      August 08, 2013 at 8:33 am

      That’s pretty much my feeling about pesto too!! :)

      Reply
  12. Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg

    August 07, 2013 at 10:53 am

    This looks delicious! My mouth is watering. I like that it’s healthy as well.

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      August 08, 2013 at 8:35 am

      I hope you try it Norma – so good!

      Reply
  13. The Candid RD

    August 07, 2013 at 8:12 am

    This sounds fabulous. I love simple and flavorful pasta recipes (and I love the idea of freezing the pesto!)

    Reply
    • Liz DellaCroce

      August 08, 2013 at 8:35 am

      Me too – I’m all about simple and flavorful. :)

      Reply

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