This pea and mint pesto pasta is delicately minty, with pine nuts and almonds bringing texture, parmesan bringing salt and savoury, and fresh garlic and lemon giving a satisfying kick.

Here's how to make it.
Ingredients
- 350 g (12.3 oz) dried rigatoni
- 45 g (1.6 oz) pine nuts
- 45 g (1.6 oz) blanched almonds
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 50 g (1.8 oz) Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese
- 1 handful mint leaves
- 150 ml (5.1 floz) olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt and black pepper
Equipment
Instructions
Put the pasta on to cook in plenty of boiling, salted water. It'll take about 10 minutes to cook, which gives you time to prepare the pesto.
Put the pine nuts, almonds, garlic cloves, parmesan, three quarters of the mint leaves and olive oil into the bowl of your food processor.

Blitz until coarse.

Add the lemon juice and a splash (up to 50ml/1.76floz) of hot water borrowed from the pasta pan) and blitz again.

Taste and add more mint leaves as required.

Blitz again and finally season to taste.

Drain the rigatoni and serve into a large bowl. Top with the pesto.

And the peas.

Mix and enjoy!

It's super yummy, I promise! Are you tempted to try this recipe?
Growing our own food has been such a rewarding experience. It's provided fun family time, taught us some new skills, and given us super-fresh, wonderfully tasty produce. And seeing all that lovely food growing just outside the back door has also been a real source of recipe inspiration to me. I think I've caught the grow-you-own bug!
Print this recipe
Here's a printable version of this tasty pea and mint pesto pasta recipe - just hit the PRINT button on the recipe card below.
Pea and Mint Pesto Rigatoni Recipe
Ingredients
- 350 g (12.3 oz) dried rigatoni
- 45 g (1.6 oz) pine nuts
- 45 g (1.6 oz) blanched almonds
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 50 g (1.8 oz) Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese
- 1 handful mint leaves
- 150 ml (5.1 floz) olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Put the pasta on to cook in plenty of boiling, salted water. It'll take about 10 minutes to cook, which gives you time to prepare the pesto.
- Put the pine nuts, almonds, garlic cloves, parmesan, three quarters of the mint leaves and olive oil into the bowl of your food processor.
- Blitz until coarse.
- Add the lemon juice and a splash (up to 50ml/1.69floz) of hot water borrowed from the pasta pan) and blitz again.
- Taste and add more mint leaves as required.
- Blitz again and finally season to taste.
- Drain the rigatoni and serve into a large bowl. Top with the pesto.
- And the peas.
- Mix and enjoy!
- It's super yummy, I promise!
Video
Nutrition
This recipe is fantastic for serving on St Patrick's day. If you plan to serve this dish on St Patrick's day consider pairing it with one of my other Paddy's inspired dishes.
Pin this pea and mint pesto rigatoni
More great pesto dishes to try
For more ideas and inspiration for your next pasta dish, visit my pasta meals recipe index! Here are some great recipes using pesto!
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Jodie Cook says
I would like to grow peas - they are so yummy straight out the pods!
Hayley F says
I would like to grow some broccoli through the winter x
Cathy Glynn says
I would love to grow some fruit, possibly raspberries and I would love a plum tree x
Gemma Holland says
Strawberries & raspberries. It would save me a lot of money as my two love them!
Jackie Allum says
More sugar snap peas as this year they were simply amazing. I have ordered some different things from China, like purple potatoes and blue strawberries but sugar snap peas were fabulous this year so I'd love to grow more of those.
cheryl hadfield says
I would love to grow my own vegetables to be more self sufficient
Julie Kenny says
I love growing tomatoes as my dad use to grow them and the scent reminds me of my childhood and happy days spent in the greenhouse x
Tracy Nixon says
I would love to grow lots of different tomato varieties!
Sim @ SimsLife.co.uk says
That looks absolutely divine! I was surprised at how much my strawberry plants had multiplied the second year - be prepared to make jam next year! Would love to attempt to grow my own peas next year - nothing better than popping them from the pod! Sim x
emma walters says
we love our little veggie patch and sweetcorn is the best thing to eat fresh :)
Mary Baldwin says
I would love to grow spinach - I use loads both raw in salad and cooked, but if you buy it from a shop it goes off really quickly so growing our own would be ideal.