Spring Veg Pesto Pasta

This is a lovely fresh & creamy summer dish. I wanted to keep it light so I didn’t put meat in this but I think some crispy pan fried salmon flaked through would be really delicious and complement the creamy lemon and pesto sauce. I made my own pesto for this, but you can definitely just buy the fresh pesto from the fridge section, to make life easier, just try to avoid the jars of thick stodgy pesto that are sitting on shelves as I don’t think the flavours are near as comparable to the fresh pesto with the shorter shelf-life. Some of my favourite store bought pestos are the Happy Pear pesto, that is actually vegan and available in Supervalu. The Meadow Fresh one from Lidl is great too.

Ingredients

Serves 2 | 647 calories per serving**

• 200g pasta of choice (I used rigatoni)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 3 heaped tsp fresh pesto

• 1 clove garlic

• 8-10 cherry tomatoes (halved)

• 4-5 sun-dried tomatoes (halved)

• 1 tbsp mascarpone cheese

• Salt & pepper

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Handful fresh basil, leaves roughly torn

• Handful frozen peas

• Handful grated parmesan cheese (30g)

Method

1. Get your pasta on and cook according to packet instructions. Heavily salt the water before adding pasta and add a dash of oil to stop it sticking together.

2. In a skillet, heat your oil and add your tomatoes and garlic. Sauté on a low heat as you don’t want to brown the garlic. When tomatoes softened and almost in a pulp, add your pesto & mascarpone.

3. Stir around until thick and creamy.

4. When pasta is 3 mins off the cooking time, add your frozen peas to the water to cook them.

5. Add a ladle of starchy pasta water and incorporate then turn off the heat until your pasta is ready. Season to taste with some salt & pepper.

6. Strain your pasta and add to the sauce along with a small handful of parmesan cheese & lemon zest & fresh basil. Stir on a low heat until the pasta has a thick and silky coating.

7. Serve immediately with your remaining parmesan cheese

**Calories calculated using my fitness pal may not be entirely accurate and should be used as a general guide for caloric value of a meal