Pea Pesto Pasta

Recipe and words by Klara Risberg

This has been my to-go-to weeknight pasta pal for a long time, using frozen peas and any leftover cheese I may have in the fridge or freezer. Same with the herbs, it’s a great basic recipe to have up your sleeve and then change it up depending on what you have at home. I usually don’t use all of the pesto that you will get making this recipe but you can save it for something else the following day. 

300g frozen peas

4 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 garlic clove 

40g grated hard cheese + some for garnish

A small bunch of basil 

½ tsp chilli flakes 

1 lemon  

50ml olive oil 

Splash of cold water 

salt and pepper

Pasta of choice 

Defrost the peas quickly under running hot water until defrosted, then quickly cool and shake the water off in a colander. 

Add the sunflower seeds to a blender and pulse a few times until the seeds are coarse. Add the remaining ingredients except the olive oil, lemon and water. Mix for a minute or two until the mixture is quite smooth and drizzle in the olive oil whilst the machine is running. Season with salt and pepper, lemon juice and zest, don’t be shy with the seasoning as the peas are really sweet and you are going to mix with pasta later. 

If you think your pesto is too thick you can add a splash of water, however if you are making the recipe for pasta remember that you will use some pasta water later when you mix pasta and pesto.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packaging, fill a mug with starchy pasta water and drain the pasta once done. Mix with the preferred amount of pea pesto and add some of the pasta water little by little to get that nice and silky texture. Garnish with herbs and grated cheese. Tuck in! 

For more of Klara's amazing recipes, visit her website and her Instagram, and visit our other posts on The Cut!