Pea pesto with wholemeal pasta is a very easy 15 minute meal and a twist on a classic pesto recipe using peas and creamy garlic cheese. Using Garlic & Herb Boursin really adds extra creaminess. Wholemeal pasta is more nutritious and contains more fibre than white pasta, as it’s less refined – it also contains less calories. You don’t need to use any extra oil in this dish, as the oil and creaminess comes from the Boursin. Regular pesto uses a lot of basil, but this recipe gets all its flavour from the garlic and herb cheese, as well as from the sweet peas
Ingredients
- 175g wholemeal pasta
- 75g petits pois
- 50g toasted pine nuts
- a handful of basil
- 2tbsp vegetarian hard cheese
- 50g Garlic & Herb Boursin
- black pepper
Method
Cook 175g wholemeal pasta in boiling, salted water to pack instructions, then drain and reserve 2tbsp cooking water.
Cook 75g petits pois in boiling, salted water for 5 mins until just cooked through. Drain and cool under cold water.
Put the peas, 50g toasted pine nuts, a large handful of basil, 2tbsp vegetarian hard cheese and 50g Garlic & Herb Boursin into a food processor with the reserved cooking water and black pepper. Whizz until the mixture is coarse, then return to the pasta pan. Warm through for 2 mins, then add the pasta and stir well to combine. Serve with extra cheese.
Top tip for making Pea pesto with wholemeal pasta
For added saltiness, why not use pancetta cubes, which you need to fry off and then add to the mix.
