A super green pesto pasta salad with spinach, peas, and asparagus. Sure to spruce up your next bbq, or to make ahead for healthy lunches all week long!
Looking for directions on how to perfectly roast your asparagus? Check them out here!
Add all your pesto ingredients, except the olive oil, to a food processor.
While the food processor is running, slowly add in your olive oil. Season with salt & pepper to taste and set aside.
Add the roasted asparagus, spinach, & peas to the serving bowl.
Cook your pasta per the package, drain, and immediately pour over your veggies in the serving bowl. Let sit for 2 minutes.
Top with the pesto, pine nuts, and parmesan. Toss to mix well!
If serving the super green pesto pasta salad warm, make sure to top with extra parmesan just before serving.
Looking for the perfect parmesan grater? This ribbon grater is my favorite.
Super Green Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Pesto:
- 4 oz. basil Stems removed
- 2 cloves garlic Rough chopped
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup parmesan grated
- salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients:
- 2 cups packed spinach
- ½ lb. asparagus roasted at 400F for 15 minutes, then cut into 2-inch pieces
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 lb. pasta I used spinach and chive pasta
- ¼ cup pine nuts toasted
- parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil.
- While you wait, add the pesto ingredients to a food processor, except the olive oil. Process while slowly adding the olive oil, until smooth.
- Cook the pasta until al dente.
- Add the spinach, asparagus, and peas to the serving bowl. Add the pasta on top of the ingredients. Let sit 2 minute. Top with the pesto, pine nuts, and parmesan. Mix well.
- Top with more parmesan to serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Pesto pasta salad with peas
You can use both fresh or frozen peas for this recipe. If using fresh peas, consider blanching them for increased sweetness.
Note: Your pesto should be the consistency of marinara sauce so it can spread throughout the pasta salad and coat the raw spinach easily.
Pasta vs. Pasta Salad
The fresh spinach in this recipe makes it more of a pasta salad than a pasta. Also, it keeps well in the fridge & tastes just as good cold, making it the perfect potluck/bbq prep-ahead dish for crowds!
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