spring is my favorite season and hyper green plates are my favorite visual effect, that being said I never miss an opportunity to make an easy spring green dish. with this recipe I'm kicking off my 'quickie fake fancy' dishes that will fill up most of my warm weather content. the 'QFF' - as we will call her moving forward 😝 - these are basically fresh, light-ish, very low maintenance, simple, delicious, in some cases mostly just assembly but all the same still have airs about them 💁🏼♀️. and this is one of those dishes. my spring pasta with pesto and peas is basic by technique but jam packed with flavors that are so layered.
I crammed as many greens into this pesto as I could and had I had more in the crisper, those too would've been tossed into the blender. this dish is referred to as the "green machine" in my home, for obvious reasons but it really is nutrient dense and what's better than a yummy pasta dish that is high key good for you? 🤷🏼♀️
if you happen to love crushed, chopped or whole nuts atop your food, feel free to sprinkle some extra pine nuts over before serving, that feels like it would add another great textural element to it. Also, don't hesitate to use any greens you have in your fridge, if you have some broccoli nearing it's end or some Swiss chard you managed to never get around to making, throwing any rich green veg into the blender will certainly suffice.
it's delightfully delectable, takes 20min max - from start to finish and is the perfect lunch or dinner on these sunny spring days/nights.
spring pasta with pesto & peas.
(serves 3-4)
grocery list
dino kale - 1/2 bunch (de-stemmed)
frozen peas - 1 1/2C
parmesan cheese - 2oz - extra for garnish
pine nuts - 1/2C
curly pasta - 3/4 box/bag
basil - 1/2 handful
mint -1/2 handful (more or less according to your taste)
chives - finely chopped for garnish
things I assume you have on hand
garlic - 4 cloves
s&p
evoo 1/2C - extra for garnish
lemon - 1 juiced
method.
🌀bring pot of salted water to a boil to cook pasta, before tossing in pasta add kale to wilt and lightly heat through 1C peas - they shouldn't need more than 3minutes, fish out greens and bring water back up to a boil, then add pasta.
🌀while pasta cooks make pesto. into a blender or nutribullet etc. add kale, peas, garlic, nuts, s&p, herbs, evoo and parm. blend until smooth and adjust seasoning to taste.
🌀pour pesto in a mixing bowl and set aside.
🌀in the last minutes of cooking the pasta, toss additional peas into the water. reserve 1C of pasta water before straining and adding peas and pasta to the pesto.
🌀stir to combine the pasta, peas and pesto adding pasta water to loosen up the sauce, if necessary.
🌀season to taste with s&p. plate up and garnish with a drizzle of evoo and a sprinkle of RPF, parm, and chives and serve.
Feast & have fun!
- check out the reel for this recipe on IG, if you're like me and always need a visual!
- use the hash #fullayum or tag us @fulla_yum on IG, if the spirit moves you to make this or any other dish on the site!
-share your experiences making this dish or suggestions in the comment!
xx.