Spinach Pesto Pasta with Peas

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound pasta

4 cups lightly packed baby spinach

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1 whole lemon)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds

2 cups frozen peas

Directions

To make the pasta:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

Place the peas into the colander (still frozen) and drain the pasta over the peas. The peas will thaw almost instantly. Return to the pot.

To make the pesto:

Meanwhile, add the spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and seeds to a blender. Blend very well until very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Season to taste with salt if needed.

Toss with the pasta and serve with additional Parmesan cheese and enjoy warm.

Nutrition

• Calories: 401 kcal
• Total Fat: 16 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 6 mg
• Sodium: 175 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 51 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 14 g