This delicious, light, plant-based pasta dish is the perfect spring time meals, and here’s why:

It's filled with the bright, fresh flavors of basil, lemon, garlic + protein power from the peas + it’s chock full of antioxidant rich leafy greens to boot!

We love using macadamia nuts as the base for this pesto. (Traditional pesto is made with pine nuts) By getting a healthy dose of fats in this dish, you slow the absorption of carbohydrates into your system. This helps keep your blood sugar stable, and keeps you feeling satisfied for longer.

Pesto Pasta with Peas

Ingredients:
Pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 cups spinach
2-3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup raw macadamia nuts
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Pasta:
4 Servings chickpea or brown rice pasta (cooked according to package)
3 cups arugula
1 cup peas, frozen or fresh

Directions:

Cook pasta according to the package directions. While pasta cooks, make pesto.

Combine all pesto ingredients in a food processor, only adding half of the olive oil. Pulse until fully combined, slowly adding olive oil until desired consistency is obtained.

Gently heat peas over low heat until warmed through. Toss hot pasta, arugula, and peas together. Add as much pesto as desired. Serve immediately.

If you like this recipe, you might also like our Spring Time Asparagus Soup