I have a tremendous love for pesto. Really, I do. But the sad thing is that I don’t have it nearly as often as I would like, because I always seem to forget that it’s a viable option for dinner. Why on Earth would I forget about that? I couldn’t tell you, honestly; the memory of it must reside someplace in my brain that has been ruined from all my pregnancies. But! The fun thing about suddenly remembering to make pesto is the fact that I get to make pesto! Ha! And you just know that I have this wonderful basil plant growing on my patio that I’ve essentially picked bare for my pesto pasta.
Totally.worth it.
One of the things I love most about a great pesto pasta is that you can throw pretty much whatever you want in it and it will taste amazing. I like to add seasonal veggies, a good cheese, and a non-cheese protein of some sort, mostly for the benefit of my husband, who refuses to eat anything that doesn’t contain meat. Manly man, and all that jazz. Clearly, I roll my eyes at him.
This latest pesto pasta is easily the best I have ever made. I added frozen peas, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and pan-fried prosciutto. The flavors are so rich and savory it’s like a party in my mouth. I was seriously a sad sad Karly when I ran out of pesto pasta. I wanted more. Sad Karly.
This recipe is so easy to make. Seriously. All you need is a food processor to whip up some fresh pesto, and a pan to crisp up the prosciutto and warm the peas, and a pot to cook the pasta. It all comes together in minutes!
Another plus about this recipe is that it’s definitely kid-approved. At least, my kids approved, ha ha ha. They gobbled it right up, and they generally poo-poo peas like they’re the plague. What’s up with that, anyway? Why do kids universally hate peas? Can someone please explain this strange phenomenon? They would rather eat handfuls of mushrooms and olives over peas and I.DON’T.GET.IT.
Whatever, kids are weird. But at least pesto makes it all better, ha ha ha.
Enjoy this pasta with some crusty bread and olive oil, and a big ol’ glass of wine. Yum.
Ingredients
For The Pesto
- 1 C Fresh Basil Packed
- 3 Cloves of Garlic Peeled
- ¼ C Pine Nuts
- ⅓ C Fresh Grated Parmesan
- ⅓-1/2 C Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt to Taste
- Fresh Ground Pepper to Taste
For The Pesto Pasta
- 12 oz Cavatappi Pasta
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 5 oz Prosciutto Sliced Thin and Diced
- 2 C Frozen Peas
- 1 C Sun-Dried Tomatoes Diced
- ¾ C Pesto
- 10 oz Fresh Mozzarella Cubed
Instructions
For The Pesto
- Combine the basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan and a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor and process on low. With the processor still running, slowly add the olive oil until the mixture emulsifies into a liquid consistency. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste, adding more olive oil if you desire a thinner pesto.
For The Pesto Pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
- While the pasta is cook, heat a fry pan to medium-high with the olive oil, then add the prosciutto and fry until just crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the frozen peas and cook until heated-through and soft, about 4 minutes. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and continue to cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat.
- When the pasta has finished cooking, drain well and return to the pot. Pour in ¾ C of the pesto, add the prosciutto, pea, and sun-dried tomato mixture, and the cubed mozzarella, toss well until all the ingredients are combined, then plate and serve!
Share your photo and tag @asimplepantry or #asimplepantry!
kendall says
Holy goodness girl! Your food skills are amazing! When am I coming to dinner?? 🙂
Ashley Nicholas says
Now this is my kind of meal! I wish I could eat it off the screen!
Alicia @ Felt With Love Designs says
I love pesto! I am going to save this recipe for later. Thank you!
Caitlyn @ ChemGradBoom says
Pesto pasta is one of my go to meals. Adding the prosciutto, peas and sundried tomatoes just makes it even better!
Neely says
It looks good however I have a weird aversion to pesto
Lauren says
This recipes looks glorious! I am a HUGE fan of pesto as well and put some sun dried tomatoes in it? BAM winning deal.
Jemma says
Yummy, this looks so good! Do you deliver?
Raewyn says
Oh my gosh, this sounds SO DELICIOUS!!
Jessica Doll says
My husband is a huge pesto fan and would LOVE it if I made this.
Christine Mondy says
Wow, who knew making pesto was this easy? I guess I have never taken the time to appreciate pesto, but I will start!
Rebekah says
Yeah if I could just have 5 bowls of that… that’d be great!
Leah says
Oh my gosh. You’ve combined some of my favorite things. I need to give this one a try! Pesto on everything, is a rule in my house. LOL!
Jenna @ A Savory Feast says
Mmm, I miss pasta! I’ve been eating healthier for almost 2 months and cut out pasta. This is pretty tempting, though!
Lindsay says
veganize***
Lindsay says
Yumm this looks so yummy!! I’ll have to make this but veganism it 🙂
Carly Anderson says
Oh my gosh… can you say YUM! You take such beautiful photos, too. 🙂
Tanya Coffman says
This looks absolutely delish!! I love pesto and now could really go for some. Thanks for sharing your time, scrumptious photos and recipe…I can’t wait to try it!
Breanna says
Are you kidding me? This looks delicious and your photos are simply gorgeous! 🙂 You’ve got some skills! 🙂 Pinning this for later! 🙂
Amby Felix says
I love pesto and love different variations of it! Your photos are pretty.
Laura My Newest Addiction says
my goodness woman! gimme some of that!