I cannot stop eating this spring pasta with meyer lemon pesto and peas! The crisp peas and fresh herbs balance perfectly with the salty ricotta and creamy pesto. Lemon and red pepper add brightness and a very slight kick. The pesto sauce clings beautifully to ruffled mafaldine pasta and makes for a pretty dish — but any textured pasta will work well. This is served warm, good cold, and the leftovers are just as delicious!
If you can’t find Mafaldine pasta in your store, you can get it here on Amazon.
Spring Pasta with Meyer Lemon Pesto & Peas
Ingredients
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon grated Meyer lemon zest plus ¼ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice from one large lemon
- 1 cup shelled English peas
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh dill
- ½ cup ricotta
- ¼ cup salted roasted sunflower seed kernels
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 16 ounces uncooked mafaldine pasta
- ¼ cup pecorino romano cheese
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
Preparation
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1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Finely grate one garlic clove to yield about ½ teaspoon garlic. Finely chop remaining garlic clove, and set aside. Add grated garlic to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown and crisp, just a few minutes. Remove skillet from heat, stir in ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon lemon zest, and set aside.
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2. Combine parsley, dill, ricotta salata, sunflower seed kernels, lemon juice, reserved chopped garlic, and remaining ¼ teaspoon lemon zest in a blender. Pulse until mixture is finely chopped. With blender running, add remaining ½ cup oil to mixture in a thin stream, and continue processing until smooth and emulsified, about 2 minutes. Stir in crushed red pepper and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
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3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
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4. Return pasta to a large pot and add pesto, peas, pecorino romano, butter, and ⅔ cup reserved cooking liquid, stirring until butter is melted and pasta is nicely coated. If you need to, add the remaining ⅓ cup cooking liquid to loosen sauce. Sprinkle with toasted breadcrumb mixture. If desired, garnish with additional parsley and salt to taste.
If you like this lemon pasta, you may also want to try another recipe I love — Pasta with Fried Lemons & Chili Flakes, here.
Bon Appétit!
xx—BB
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