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
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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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Laura Pritchard says
A blueberry bush as my kids eat so many!
Chrissie Curtis says
There is s much I would love to grow! but especially carrots as we eat so many.
theresa cooke says
I would love to grow Figs. They are in the shops only a short while but I love cooking or just eating them.
maria blythin says
i would like to grow spuds x
Char Keddy says
Would love to grow some tomatoes and peas - both taste so yummy straight off the vine! xx
Donata says
Gherkins. I tried growing them this year but only had 2 or 3 small gherkins. I want to try again next year. I love gherkins pickled in brine.
Sharon Lou Johnson says
tomatoes and mushrooms x
Angela McDonald says
I'd love to grow some Snowdrops!
I'd also like to grow some herbs like mint and coriander to use in cooking
Sarah Parkin says
Peppers would be great to grow - I'm always running out!
Jane Brown says
Tomatoes as we eat a lot of them!