Our Penne Pesto Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes is a light, spring-inspired pasta dish, that's quick and easy to make. It can be enjoyed hot or cold, and is fantastic when finished off with some fresh torn Basil and sprinkled with lightly toasted Pine Nuts.
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What You'll Need
Ingredients
- Peas - We used frozen Petit Pois for this recipe. It's a cheap way to buy peas and they're very handy to have in the freezer to toss through pasta dishes such as this one. They only take a few minutes to defrost and cook through due to their tiny size. However, you can use fresh Peas if you prefer. If so, the instructions for the recipe remain the same as if using frozen.
- Penne Pasta - Pasta comes in a lot of varieties these days. You can get Gluten Free, Wholewheat, Chickpea or Lentil Pasta's depending on your preferences and dietary requirements. We used Gluten Free pasta simply because that was what we had at hand.
- Pesto - You can use freshly made Pesto, like our Easy Vegan Pesto, or maybe our Wild Garlic Pesto. You can also buy pre-made pestos from your local store. Homemade pesto is a great way to get an abundance of fresh ingredients in to your families diet. Using fresh herbs smells and look amazing, it also tastes incredible too. On top of that they're abundant with antioxidants and vitamins, which are good for you health.
- Spinach - Spinach is a really easy way to add more iron and minerals to your diet. The iron in spinach is more bio-available when cooked (more readily available for your body to absorb and use). Make sure you always wash spinach before use.
- Sun-dried Tomatoes - These are a great way to add bursts of flavour to a dish, and can also be used to add richness to recipes. Typically these are found jarred in stores, but you can also buy semi-dried tomatoes from deli counters. The semi-dried are less intense in flavour but just as delicious.
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Colander
- Saucepan
- Sharp Knife
- Wooden Spoon
How to Make it
Step 1 - Boil some water in a saucepan. Add your Pasta, and cook according to the packet instructions. .
Step 2 - Once cooked, turn the hob off, and immediately drain your Pasta using a Colander. Then place the drained, cooked Pasta, back in to the saucepan.
Hint: Reserve a small cup of your Pasta water. You can then use this after adding the Pesto (step 8), to loosen the Pasta if it's getting a little dry during cooking. It also gives your final dish a lovely silky consistency, due to the starch in the water.
Steps 3 & 4 - Pour in your frozen Peas and stir in to your pasta. The residual heat from the pasta will help to defrost and cook the peas.
Step 5 - Roughly chop the Spinach. Then chop your Sun-dried Tomatoes in to small pieces (about the size of your fingernail).
Steps 6 - Add both the Spinach and Sun-dried Tomatoes to your Pasta and Peas.
Step 7 - Stir through to combine the Pasta, Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato, before adding the Pesto.
Step 8 - Turn the hob on to a low heat. Spoon in your Pesto, and stir thoroughly until all your Pasta is coated. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of Salt & Pepper if you wish. The total cook time for this step should be roughly 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently to ensure your pasta does not stick to the bottom of your saucepan.
Hint: If you reserved some of your Pasta water when draining, add a couple of tablespoons to your saucepan and stir well for about 15 seconds prior to serving.
Substitutions & Variations
- Spinach- Arugula (rocket) would also work well with this Penne Pesto Pasta. However, don't cook it, and instead stir some torn leaves through your pasta just before serving.
- Peas - Sweetcorn, chopped cherry tomatoes or some steamed chopped asparagus would all work really well with this.
Storage
Store any leftover Pasta in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
This is delicious as a pasta salad, which can be taken to work or school for lunch the following day.
Recipe Tip
When draining your cooked Pasta, reserve a small cup of the water. You can then use this after adding the Pesto, to loosen the Pasta if it's getting a little dry during cooking. It also gives your final dish a lovely silky consistency, due to the starch in the water.
Simply add 2-3 tablespoons of the Pasta water to the saucepan about 15 seconds prior to serving, being sure to stir through thoroughly.
FAQ's
Yes it can. We also make this with green beans or Asparagus sometimes as well. If there is a vegetable that you particularly want to try it with then just go for it.
Other Meal Ideas
Here are a few of our other Delicious Recipes you might like to try.
Homemade Pesto Recipes
Here are a few of our simple Pesto recipes that would go really well in this Pasta dish.
Recipe
Penne Pesto Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Colander
- Saucepan
- Sharp Knife
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 4 cups Penne Pasta of choice
- ½ cup Pesto homemade or store bought
- 1 cup Peas fresh or frozen
- Large handful of washed Spinach
- 4 large Sun-dried Tomatoes
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Boil some water in a saucepan. Add your Pasta, and cook according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, turn the hob off.4 cups Penne Pasta
- Drain your Pasta using a Colander, then place the drained, cooked Pasta, back in to the saucepan. - See recipe tip in notes
- Add in your frozen Peas and stir in to your pasta. The residual heat from the pasta will help to defrost and cook the peas.1 cup Peas
- Roughly chop the Spinach. Then chop your Sun-dried Tomatoes in to small pieces (about the size of your fingernail).Large handful of washed Spinach, 4 large Sun-dried Tomatoes
- Add both the Spinach and Sun-dried Tomatoes to your Pasta and Peas, then stir to combine.
- Once cooked, turn the hob off: Turn your hob on to a low heat. Spoon in your Pesto, and stir thoroughly until all your Pasta is coated
- Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of Salt & Pepper if you wish.¼ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- Cook for roughly 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure your pasta does not stick to the bottom of your saucepan. - refer to recipe tip if using some of the retained pasta water
sarah
A really easy and tasty pasta dish. Simple recipe to follow.
Yasmin
Thank you for the feedback Sarah. If you make it again, then try making it with our Easy Vegan Pesto, we're sure you will enjoy it even more.