Rating
4.75
Average: 4.8 (4 votes)
Active time
15 minutes
Total time
20 minutes
Yield
8 servings
Nutritioni
Ingredients

1 pound penne pasta, preferably whole grain

6 ounces fresh arugula, washed and dried

½ cup walnuts, lightly toasted

1 clove of garlic, peeled

⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup frozen peas, warmed

½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Instructions
  1. Fill a large stock pot with 6 quarts of cold water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Turn heat to high and cover to bring to a rolling boil.
  2. Meanwhile, add arugula, walnuts, and garlic clove to a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until all begins to break up, about 15 seconds or 15 1-second pulses. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula and add salt and pepper. Process 5 seconds and scrape down sides a second time. Process again, adding olive oil in a slow stream until fully incorporated. Remove pesto to a fresh bowl and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
  3. Cook pasta in stock pot until al dente and drain, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking liquid in the pot. Return pasta to the pot and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Add approximately ½ cup of the finished pesto to the pasta and cooking water in pot, stirring well to incorporate.
  4. Add cheese and peas and mix well. Serve with extra cheese if desired.

An Oldways recipe and photo.

High resolution photo and reprinting permission available upon request. Please contact media@oldwayspt.org.

Nutrition

(using 1 TBSP pesto per serving): Calories: 400
Fat: 14g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Protein: 23g
Carbohydrates: 46g
Fiber: 4g
Sodium: 224mg + salt to taste.

Yield: 8 servings

How'd it Taste?

Georgia
September 30, 2019
4
This was tasty, considering the pesto did not have any parmesan added. I found it a bit bland at first taste so added about a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavours and it made a difference. Be sure to toast the walnuts as suggested! I served it with grilled salmon and it was a perfect meal.
Erik
September 28, 2022
0
Great tips, thank you!
Bob
August 22, 2023
5
We loved it. I also made a vegan variation, substituting nutritional yeast for the cheese. I also topped off each serving with crushed walnuts. One thing in the recipe confused me - the directions say only to add 1/2 of the pesto. And the other half?
Katherine-Oldways
August 24, 2023
0
Hi Bob, so glad you liked it! You will most likely have left over pesto. You can freeze it for later use!
Tone
January 07, 2024
5
Really nice and refreshing. I probably put too much garlic in mind, but it still tasted great!
Bridget
March 14, 2024
5

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