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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Jessica says
Strawberries - my son can't get enough of them and some herbs so fresh ones are on hand when cooking
Deborah Mackenzie says
I would love to try and make a herb garden; I particularly love mint with lamb and it tastes so good when it is fresh.
SUSAN L HALL says
i only have a patio garden but would love to grow a selection of herbs as love fresh herbs
Derek Wilson says
Baby cherry tomatoes - so sweet!
Pauline Dring says
Courgettes, our crop failed this year
Sue Price says
Tomatoes, peppers & peas I would choose to grow
rebecca austin says
strawberries and tomatoes
Sheila Reeves says
I'd love to grow some spinach, and some carrots
Sheila Shepheard says
I'd like to grow raspberries - they are so expensive to buy and my family loves them so.
Maxine Feehely says
Carrots are so much sweeter freshly picked