20 Min Healthy Pesto Pasta With Peas

5 from 5 votes

20 Min Healthy Pesto Pasta With Peas

This delicious pesto pasta with peas is a simple and easy dish for busy times. You can prepare it using minimal ingredients in just 20 mins. Perfect for healthy lunch or dinner.

Prep Time3

Cook Time17

Total Time20

Course: Lunch / Dinner, Main or Side

Cuisine: International, Italian Inspired

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings:

Calories: 302kcal

Author: Swati Kadam Gulati

Equipment

Large Pan

Ingredients

3 cup raw pasta
1 ½ cup green peas use fresh or frozen
¼ cup basil pesto
1 tomato seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 teaspoon back pepper
salt
¼ cup pasta water
1 teaspoon cooking oil

Optional

1 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 tablespoon parmesan cheese (or more)

Instructions

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook as per the package instructions. Drain the water and keep it aside. Reserve some pasta water to use it later.
Heat cooking oil in a large pan. Add chopped garlic and saute until fragrant.
Add green peas and stir-fry them for about 5-7 min or until a light roasted color starts to develop.
Then add diced tomato, black pepper, salt, and chili flakes, and cook for another 2-3 min.
Add back the cooked pasta, basil pesto, and saved pasta water; mix well to distribute the pesto evenly. Turn off the heat and serve warm.

Notes

Cooking pasta - Do not overcook the pasta while boiling it in water. Preferably, cook it to an al dente texture.
Taste test and add some more pesto and seasonings, if necessary.
Save some water before draining the pasta after cooking. Adding a few tablespoons of this water while mixing pasta and pesto to help distribute the pesto evenly.
Do not overcook the dish after mixing pasta and pesto. Turn off the heat just after mixing everything. Cooking basil pesto on high heat for longer times may lose its flavor and can also result in overcooked pasta.
Optional - Add some parmesan cheese at the end for more deliciousness. You can skip using fresh tomatoes in this recipe. I usually add them to get some color in the dish. You can also use sundried tomatoes instead.

Nutrition