Spring vegetable penne with pea pesto

This pasta is wonderfully fresh and super flexible. It’s a lovely, quick recipe too, all coming together in the time it takes to cook the pasta.

Credit: Savannah van der Niet

• serves

  6-8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) penne
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large zucchini (courgettes), cut into thin moons
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into thin spear shapes
• 185 g (6½ oz/1 cup) shelled broad (fava) beans
• 1 bunch spring onions (scallions), chopped
• ½ bunch kale, finely chopped
• 250 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) vegetable stock
• 250 g (9 oz) frozen peas

Pesto

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) fresh or frozen peas, cooked
• 50 g (1¾ oz/⅓ cup) pine nuts, toasted
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 bunch basil, leaves picked
• ½ bunch mint, leaves picked
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) olive oil
• 30 g (1 oz/½ cup) nutritional yeast; or 100 g (3½ oz/1 cup) grated parmesan for non-vegans
• 1 tsp salt

Toasted Crumbs

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 120 g (4½ oz/2 cups) chunky breadcrumbs (panko or homemade)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

Instructions

1. Put all the pesto ingredients in a blender. Add 3 tablespoons water and blend until smooth and creamy. Season to taste and set aside.
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the penne until al dente, then drain well, reserving 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) of the cooking water.
3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the zucchini and cook for a few minutes, stirring every so often. Add the asparagus, broad beans and spring onions. Cook for a minute, then add the kale, stock and frozen peas. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Pour the pesto in and stir well to combine.
4. For the toasted crumbs, heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and garlic. Cook, stirring for a few minutes, until the crumbs are a deep golden colour. Season well and set aside.
5. Combine the pasta, reserved pasta water and pesto vegetable mix. Serve in bowls, topped with toasted breadcrumbs, and extra herbs and cheese if desired.

 

Recipe and images from The Shared Table by Clare Scrine, Smith Street Books, RRP $39.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.