This simple pea pesto is a great budget-friendly option that comes together in just minutes. Made with affordable, everyday ingredients like frozen peas, fresh basil, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, it’s a delicious alternative to traditional pesto without the higher price tag. Having easy and quick sauce recipes are a great way to improve home cooked meals. Add this pesto to pasta, as a spread on sandwiches, or with eggs.
Easy and Affordable
Using peas as the base instead of pine nuts is an affordable way to add more protein and fibre to a sauce. Frozen peas are a great ingredient to keep on hand because they’re inexpensive, convenient, and have a long shelf life. This pesto is also a great way to get a variety of other nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin K, and iron.
Nutrient Dense
You can add either parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for extra flavour. Nutritional yeast is a plant-based alternative that adds a boost of important B-vitamins, including vitamin B12. People following a vegetarian or vegan diet may struggle to get enough vitamin B12 through diet, so adding nutritional yeast to sauces is a good option.
Pea Pesto Pasta
Serves: 2-3
Difficulty: 1/3 – Easy
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- ¾ cup frozen peas, thawed
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil (plus 1-2 tsp as needed)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan or nutritional yeast (optional)
Steps
-
To a food processor or blender, add all ingredients. Blend until combined. Depending on the strength of your blender, you may need to pulse the garlic, basil, lemon juice, and oil first, then add the peas.
If the consistency is too dry, add more olive oil, 1 tsp at a time. - Add this pesto to pasta noodles, as a spread on sandwiches, or with eggs.
- Enjoy!
Inspired by: Love and Lemons
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- Gorman, R. M. (2025, May 12). Nutritional yeast: Does this savory, vegan seasoning pack a nutritional punch?. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-nutrition/nutritional-yeast-does-this-savory-vegan-seasoning-pack-a-nutritional-punch
- Government of the Northwest Territories. (n.d.). Peas. https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/nutritional-food-fact-sheet-series/peas
