Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced and quartered
- 1 cup fresh Spring peas
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to season and garish
- 1 lb. gluten free pasta, cooked according to package instructions (1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid reserved)
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon or more red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup or more basil pesto
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
Classic + Basic Basil Pesto
- 2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves
- 1–2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup to olive oil (or more to thin it out)
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (leave out if you are going to freeze the pesto)
- optional – 2 pinches fresh lemon zest
Instructions
- Sauté the olive oil or butter with the zucchini in a small saucepan, until toasted brown and warmed throughout – about 3 minutes on medium heat. Add in the peas and turn the heat off and let sit.
- When the pasta is drained, add it back to the pot or a large bowl. Add in the reserved cooking liquid, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and pesto. Toss to coat the pasta.
- Add in the cooked zucchini and peas. Garnish with pine nuts and black pepper. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Leave out the Parmesan cheese in the pesto recipe, if you plan to freeze it right away. It freezes so much better without it. Since you add the Parmesan to the pasta later – you may not even need it in the pesto recipe.
Pine nuts are pricy – I like to add in walnuts to the pesto and garnish the pasta with the pine nuts. Either way, it’s delicious.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: vegetarian
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: dinner