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!
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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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Kim Neville says
Broccoli and green beans
Susie Wilkinson says
I think I'd like to have a go a growing carrots, we eat loads, both raw and cooked!
claire woods says
I saw a lime tree yesterday at a garden centre. I'd love to try growing those.
Anthea Holloway says
I would love to grow some carrots and parsnips.
Karl Borowy says
TOMATOES AND HERBS GARDEN
Aaron Broad says
I would love to start growing some vegetables if possible
Katie says
I'd like to grow my own potatoes
Ruth Harwood says
I'd love to grow my own little herb garden - I don't have much space and I love experimenting with herbs in recipes xx
Samantha O'D says
We have only ever mastered growing peas, I would like to grow tomatoes
Charlie @ The Kitchen Shed says
How much pasta did you use for this recipe? I might be being dim, but I couldnt see it. I would love to grow courgettes in my garden. They grow so well! The pesto pasta looks delicious!
Emily Leary says
Whoops! Thanks for spotting that! About 350g of dried rigatoni (I've updated the recipe) but you get quite a generous portion of pesto so you could go up a little and still get a decent coating.