

PARSLEY PESTO PASTA WI TH

PEAS
$5.30 RECIPE / $1.33 SERVING

BUDGET BYTES » RECIPES » PASTA RECIPES » QUICK PASTA RECIPES » PARSLEY PESTO PASTA WITH
PEAS

JUMP TO RECIPE  GROCERY LIST  FAVORITES

SPRING IS HEEERRRRREE! (Read that in Oprah’s excited yelling voice). As soon as that sun
starts to shine and the days get a little longer I feel every cell in my body wake up and I
instantly start craving super fresh flavors. This Parsley Pesto Pasta with Peas is a great
“transitional” recipe to take you from cold grey winter days into the sunny days of spring. It
tastes super bright and fresh, but doesn’t require a lot of really seasonal ingredients, which
is nice because sometimes my brain is already screaming spring before the fresh produce
hits the markets. :P
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PARSLEY PESTO, A BUDGET- FR I ENDLY

ALTER N ATIVE
I looooove making pesto with parsley because it’s a fraction of the cost of fresh basil. It has a

super fresh, almost grassy flavor that I love. But if you’re not into parsley as much as I am (I
admit, I LOVE parsley), you can use it in combination with other herbs to bulk up the pesto
and bring the overall cost down. I also made my parsley pesto nut-free to reduce the cost
even further, but you can add some walnuts, pine nuts, or sunflower seeds if you prefer a
nutty pesto.

OTHER PASTA ADD - I NS

In true Budget Bytes form, I kept this pasta dish super simple, but I have plenty of ideas for
other add-ins if you want to take this up a notch. Asparagus and artichokes are also in
season in the spring and would make a great addition, as would sun dried tomatoes, or even
fresh grape tomatoes. You could even chop up some spinach and stir that right in, or purée
it in with your pesto for even more bulk.

WHAT TYPE OF PAR M ES AN I S BEST FO R PESTO

There is absolutely no question that Parmesan grated from a block is 100% better than the
kind that comes grated in a bottle, but hey, that’s just not within everyone’s budget. I made
my parsley pesto with the grated kind because I wanted to know that this dish was good
even with the most widely available form of Parmesan. And yes, yes it is still very good!

IS YOUR OLIVE OIL FR ES H?

Olive oil can go bad and bad olive oil will absolutely ruin a dish like this. Olive oil should
never taste or smell sharp or bitter. So give your olive oil a little taste before you begin, just
to make sure. If the oil does not taste smooth, it has probably gone rancid (the fat molecules
have oxidized). Here’s a great little article about How to Tell if Your Food Is Rancid from
Epicurious, if you want to read more.

HOW TO SERVE PAR S LEY PESTO PASTA WITH

PEAS

Peas have a surprising amount of protein, so this dish makes a really great main dish on its
own, especially if you add any of the add-ins suggested above. But I also think this pasta is
the perfect side for burgers or any other grilled meat if you’re having a cook-out and
enjoying the spring or summer weather. Super fresh!
 

PARSLEY PESTO PASTA

WITH PEAS
Parsley Pesto Pasta with Peas has super bright and fresh
flavors perfect for spring and summer. Serve as a main
dish or a side with your grilled food.
TOTAL COST: $5.30 recipe / $1.33 serving
AUTHOR: Beth - Budget Bytes
PREP TIME: 15 mins
PRINT RECIPE 
COOK TIME: 10 mins
GROCERY LIST 
TOTAL TIME: 25 mins
SERVINGS: 4 to 6 servings FAVORITES
INGREDIENTS 5 from 5 votes

1 bunch flat leaf Italian Parsley (about 2-3 cups,
loosely packed) ($0.89)
1 fresh lemon ($0.43)
1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan ($0.88)
2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
salt and pepper ($0.05)
1/4 cup olive oil ($0.52)
1 lb. pasta* ($1.99)
1 cup frozen peas ($0.38)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rinse the parsley well to remove any dirt or debris, then pat it dry with a clean, lint-
free towel. Cut off the ends of the parsley stems and place the rest, leaves and
stems, in the bowl of a food processor.
2. Zest and juice the lemon. Add half of the zest and about 2 Tbsp of the juice to the
food processor, along with the Parmesan, garlic cloves (peeled), and some freshly
cracked pepper (about 15 cranks of a pepper mill). 
3. Pulse the mixture until everything is finely minced and combined. Begin to add the
olive oil in a thin stream through the chute of the processor as it blend the mixture
together. Once the oil has been incorporated, add salt to taste. I added about 1/4
tsp salt.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and
continue to boil until the pasta is al dente. At the very end of the cook time, add the
frozen peas and stir to combine. Let the peas sit in the hot water with the pasta for
about a minute, then drain the pasta and peas in a colander.
5. Allow the pasta to cool just to the point where it is no longer steaming heavily.
Transfer the drained pasta to a bowl and add the parsley pesto. Stir to combine,
then serve warm. Add a pinch of the remaining lemon zest over top of each serving.

NOTES

*I used casarecce pasta, but any short shaped pasta with texture would work great. You
want to make sure to use something with texture so there is something to grab all the
parsley pesto.
 See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!

NUTRITION

Serving: 1 Serving・ Calories: 638.38 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 95.53 g ・ Protein: 22.33 g

・ Fat: 18.5 g ・ Sodium: 534.85 mg ・ Fiber: 7.55 g
Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclaimer here.

EQUIPMENT

Food Processor

Grater

White Cutting Boards

The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love. As an
Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Scroll down for the step by step photos!

 

HOW TO MAKE PAR S LEY PESTO PASTA – STEP

BY STEP PHOTOS
 

Begin by rinsing the parsley well to remove any dirt or debris. Sandy pesto is NOT fun (or
good). Pat the parsley dry with a lint-free towel because watery pesto is also not good.
Parsley stems are totally fine to eat and include in the pesto, so just cut off the ends and put
everything else into a food processor.
 

Zest and juice one fresh lemon. This is the perfect use for any frozen whole lemons, if you
have them stashed in your freezer! 
 

Add about half of the lemon zest, 2 Tbsp of the lemon juice, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 2
cloves of garlic (peeeled), and some freshly cracked pepper (about 15 cranks of a pepper
mill).
 

Pulse these ingredients together until they are minced and well combined.
 

Then slowly start to add 1/4 cup olive oil through the chute in the food processor as the
ingredients are processing. Once done it should be a bright green saucy consistency.
 

Check out that color!! This stuff is seriously amazing. Now it’s time to add the salt and really
make the flavors pop. Add salt to taste. I added 1/4 tsp.
 

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add 1 lb. pasta (I used casarecce,
but any short textured pasta will do), and boil until the pasta is al dente. Once it’s tender,
add 1 cup frozen peas and stir to combine. Let the peas sit in the hot water with the pasta
for one minute, then drain in a colander. Let the pasta cool for a few minutes, or just until
it’s no longer steaming heavily (you don’t want it to actually melt the Parmesan in the pesto).
 

Once the pasta is slightly cool and well drained, transfer it to a large bow. Add the parsley
pesto and stir to combine.
 

Yessss, look at all that freshness!

 

Add a pinch of the remaining zest to each bowl before serving (you can also add extra
pepper or Parmesan, if desired). Dig in!
POSTED ON MARCH 30, 2019 IN EGG FREE RECIPES, 17 COMMENTS »
PASTA RECIPES, QUICK PASTA RECIPES, QUICK RECIPES, 
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17 COMMENTS ON “PARSLEY PESTO PASTA WITH PEA S”

SJ —
12.29.19 @ 12:48 AM REPLY

Can you make the pesto a head of time to make a weeknight meal faster?

KELLY - TEAM BUDGET BYTES —

12.30.19 @ 10:18 AM REPLY

You most definitely can make it ahead of time.

AMANDA —
10.24.19 @ 7:37 PM REPLY

This was a quick and easy weeknight meal! I made it for my mom and she is normally
picky about peas but she loved it!

KELLY - TEAM BUDGET BYTES —

10.27.19 @ 6:22 PM REPLY

Hooray! Happy to hear it Amanda.

ANON —
10.05.19 @ 1:49 PM REPLY

Is this recipe doable without a food processor?

KELLY - TEAM BUDGET BYTES —

10.06.19 @ 5:55 PM REPLY

Yes you could do it in a blender or really finely chop everything and mix into a
bowl. Still delicious!

JULIANA —
06.30.19 @ 11:15 PM REPLY

Made this for my mom and sister, they both liked it and went back for seconds. This
is the second recipe I’ve tried from your site and both turned out great, thank you :)

EMILY —
05.04.19 @ 6:57 AM REPLY

So delicious! The raw garlic had a nice bite, and the lemon zest gave good freshness.
This was the perfect Friday night meal. We both agreed that we wouldn’t mind more
peas, so we may double them next time. We used block parm – instead of grating, we
sliced thinly, which worked out well. And I love how this is so much cheaper than
other pestos because of no nuts. A keeper for sure!
LINDSAY —
04.10.19 @ 7:08 AM REPLY


I made this last night. It was wonderful. I put sundried tomatoes in in place of the
peas. I am going to try this pesto on roasted carrots next week for passover when I
have to go noodleless.

MALDOROR —
04.09.19 @ 11:33 PM REPLY

This looks like it’d go great with a bottle of wine on a Friday night. Will def try!

DANIE —
04.02.19 @ 5:47 PM REPLY

I bought frozen artichoke hearts to use in this because my husband doesn’t like peas.
How do in incorporate them? Thanks!

BETH M —
04.04.19 @ 9:56 AM REPLY

You should be able to just thaw them and stir them in (check the package to
see if it suggests cooking them, if so, follow the directions for cooking before
adding them to the pasta). You might also want to give them a rough chop to
make them smaller pieces. :)

LIZAAN —
04.01.19 @ 10:52 AM REPLY

If I am super lazy(don’t judge), how much pesto would I add instead of making it?

BETH M —
04.04.19 @ 10:14 AM REPLY

Probably about 1 cup, give or take some. :) And no judgement here! I take
short cuts alllllll the time. ;)

JAE —
05.17.20 @ 7:22 PM REPLY
 Thank you for being brave enough to ask this question, I was reading through

the comments for this exact piece of info hahah One day, I will try this recipe
from scratch but today, I’m working with what I have! And thank you, Beth, for
not judging 😂

VANESSAKC —
04.01.19 @ 1:10 AM REPLY

I love that you actually tested it with shaker parm. Most recipes, even the front’n
budget sites are all about the fancy block parms. I appreciate very much that you
tested this from an economical standpoint. Sometimes I can afford a block, but
sometimes I can’t and most recipes do not say if shaker parm will work. Rn I’ve got
shaker in my fridge so I know I can make this recipe and it’ll work out well. Thank you
✌️

MARIE PROUDFOOT —
03.31.19 @ 7:45 AM REPLY

New user to this site 🤞

Looking forward to trying a good few.

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