We made Pea Pesto Pizzas the other week, and I loved the sauce so much that I had to make it again, like soon. Peas, Pesto Genovese and a few other ingredients combine for a super interesting sauce that will straight up punch you in the mouth with flavor. Since the sauce worked so well on pizzas, I thought it would do equally well on pasta—and I was right. It’s a bit thicker than some sauces, but that just means you don’t have to use as much of it to achieve the same result.

This time around, we decided to add 1/4 c. ricotta cheese to the pesto sauce to make it creamier. For extra veggies, we roasted asparagus with pine nuts and used it as a topping for the pasta. Sprinkle your dish with a bit of Parmesan cheese, and you’re good to go!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bag frozen peas, cooked according to package directions

• 1 - 6.5 oz. jar Pesto Genovese (we used Mantova brand)

• 4 T. red wine vinegar

• 2 T. olive oil

• 1/2 t. cayenne

• 1/2 t. white wine vinegar

• 1/4 c. ricotta

• 1 bunch asparagus

• 2 T. pine nuts

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 1/2 shallot, minced

• 1 t. garlic powder

• Parmesan cheese, shredded

• 1 box pasta of your choice (we used Explore Cuisine’s Organic Edamame & Mung Bean Fettuccine) 

• Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

STEPS

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2) Wash the asparagus, cut off the woody ends and chop it into pieces. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the asparagus onto the paper. Spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with 2 T. pine nuts and season with fresh cracked black pepper. Cook for 25 minutes.

3) Heat a pan with 2 T. olive oil over medium-high heat and add 2 T. olive oil. Add the yellow onion, shallot and garlic powder and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

4) Cook the peas according to package directions. Add the peas to a food processor along with the pesto, red wine vinegar, olive oil, white wine vinegar, cayenne, ricotta and half of the onion/shallot mixture. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and blend until smooth.

5) Add the pasta to the boiling water and cooking according to package directions. Drain, drizzle with olive oil and pour into a large bowl. Add the over half of the onion/shallot mixture to the bowl as well.

6) Use a spatula to scoop the pea pesto sauce into the bowl with the pasta. You’ll likely have more sauce than you need, so add it sparingly and toss the pasta until you’re happy with the pasta/sauce ratio.

7) Scoop the pasta into bowls and serve it topped with the asparagus and pine nuts.