between all the summer barbecues, campfire s'mores & one too many trips to the ice cream shop, it is important to whip up some healthy, fresh meals in the kitchen too! this pasta dish is both healthy & hearty thanks to the homemade dry pea pesto sauce. dry peas are part of the pulse family & 2016 has been named the year of the pulses! woo!
what are "pulses"?!?! pulses are protein packed, sustainable foods like beans, lentils, chickpeas & of course dry peas! basically, you have probably been eating pulses all along & did not even know it. did you see the garlic hummus & warm pita bread i made over on NOM last week? that counts as pulses too! this pesto is also the perfect meal to make if you have basil growing wild in your garden too. my mom planted like five different basil plants around the backyard this summer (okay, well four now thanks to buddy holly's latest attempt at catching a squirrel & destroying the plant in the process.. r.i.p basil plant #5).
if you want to add some additional protein serve it with grilled chicken breast or if you want to make it even healthier use whole wheat spaghetti instead! if you'd like to join me & take the pulse pledge to eat pulses once a week for ten weeks (fresh hummus & pesto once a week sounds pretty easy to me) head on over to the pulsepledge.com.
p.s. i roasted the peppers on the grill at high heat until the outsides were charred. cover & let cool before peeling.. voila! roasted peppers.
ingredients
for the dry pea pesto
- 1 cup shelled walnuts or pine nuts, roughly chopped
- 1.5 cups fresh basil, packed
- 3/4 cup dry green peas, soaked over night
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves of garlic
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
for the dry pea pesto spaghetti
- 1 cup prepared dry pea pesto (see recipe above)
- 1 pound spaghetti, cooked & strained
- 1 roasted yellow pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 roasted red pepper, thinly sliced
- shaved parmesan cheese, for serving
directions
for the dry pea pesto
- in a food processor add the walnuts, basil, peas, parmesan, garlic, salt & pepper. pulse ten times to mix all the ingredients up.
- turn the food processor on to low speed & slowly drizzle in olive oil. blend until a smooth paste is formed.
- store in a lidded glass jar for up to two weeks.
for the dry pea pesto spaghetti
- in a skillet over medium-low heat add the pesto sauce & stir to coat the pan.
- add in the spaghetti & toss until the pesto is fully coated around the noodles.
- add the freshly squeezed lemon juice, fold in the roasted red + yellow peppers.
- top with shaved parmesan & serve warm.
this post was created in partnership with @USApulses & @pulseCANADA. read all about pulses at www.pulsepledge.com & take the pulse pledge with me!