This pesto is great with other green veggies - you can try it with a mix of frozen broad beans and peas, or swap in half for raw broccoli florets.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
- 350g macaroni
- 300g frozen peas, defrosted (200g for pesto, 100g to stir in)
- 1 garlic clove
- 50g basil leaves
- 15g mint leaves
- 30g toasted pine nuts
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 100g mascarpone
- 50g Parmesan cheese (or vegetarian alternative), grated, plus extra to scatter
- 25g unsalted butter
- 25g plain flour
- 400ml vegetable stock
- 75g mozzarella, grated
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°CF/Gas 6. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 10 minutes until not quite cooked. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a small food processor, blitz 200g peas with the garlic, basil, mint, pine nuts, the mascarpone and Parmesan. Loosen it up with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Melt the butter in a pan, gradually add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then gradually add the vegetable stock until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Add the pesto and stir until smooth. Season to taste.
- Stir the sauce through the pasta, add peas and tip into an ovenproof dish. Scatter with the rest of the Parmesan and the grated mozzarella and bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbling and golden.
