A creamy, flavorful, gluten and dairy free Vegan Pea Pesto Pasta! This 20 minute recipe is quick, versatile, and can be NO-COOK other than the noodles if you wish. The secret ingredient for a higher protein dish is peas, though we promise you can't taste them in the final recipe (I'm not usually a big fan of peas...)
Food is love in my big Italian family, and this Pea Pesto Pasta Recipe is my way of sharing my love for hosting with you! This gluten free, dairy free, and vegan recipe is my absolute favorite for home and travel, and it requires just a few healthy ingredients!
Quick, versatile, and perfect for sharing with friends & family, there is so much food love in this pea pesto pasta dish <3
I bring this delicious plate to dinner parties and often make a batch before traveling so I can eat well on-the-go and when I arrive at my destination.
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Sneaky Pea Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil , plus a little more for roasting garlic
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 4 cloves garlic , minced if sautéing, otherwise whole is fine
- 1 cup green peas , cooked or thawed if frozen
- 1 heaping cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 lemon , juiced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 servings Gluten-Free pasta , I like fusilli shape
- 3 cups arugula
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
Instructions
- Optional: Heat a medium skillet to medium heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil. Toss in pine nuts, roast for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant and golden brown, while stirring constantly. Add splashes of water as needed to deglaze the pan.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Prepare pasta according to instructions on packaging.
- Meanwhile, make the pesto by add the remaining olive oil, roasted pine nuts and garlic, peas, basil, lemon juice, and salt to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
- Allow the pasta to cool for 5 minutes before adding in the pesto, arugula, and sun-dried tomatoes. Toss and serve. We enjoy this dish warm or cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Photos of the cooking process
Prepare pasta according to the packaging. I used Tinkyada gluten free pasta this time around.
Add all remaining ingredients to a blender. If sautéing the garlic, you'll want to do that prior to this step. I enjoy the recipe both ways 🙂
Blenders I love:
I use the 600 watt NutriBullet in my Camper Van, the lightweight 250 watt Magic Bullet for travel, and the Vitamix 5200 at home. All work well for this recipe, though you’re sure to get a longer life out of the Nutribullet and Vitamix.
Blend until smooth.
Allow the pasta to cool for 5 minutes before adding the pesto, arugula, and sun-dried tomatoes. Then toss and serve!
Hungry for more?
Check out our vibrantly gluten-free recipe index <3
With love and gratitude,
❤︎ Jamie
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Mona
Wow this is an amazing recipe! And I usually hate peas so thank you for making them something I enjoy here. It's my boyfriend's and my favorite for an Italian dinner night when we're looking to eat healthy-ish. We've made this a couple times and it's going in the recipe tin!