Thursday Kitchen Cupboard.. Pasta, Peas, and Pesto

I was rummaging in the freezer this week and saw that I still have frozen pesto from the fall.  My basil in the garden is quickly growing, so it was time to use up last year's harvest to make room for new pesto.  With pesto in mind and peas in the garden, a pasta, peas, and pesto recipe was perfect!  I found the original recipe on food network.  However, I made quite a few changes. 

Pasta, Peas,and Pesto

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound rotini pasta
• 1/8 cup good olive oil
• 3/4 cup pesto
• 1 lb chard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2/3 cup ranch dressing
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
• 3/4 cup peas
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until the pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

Wash, dry, and chop the chard.  Saute the chard until it begins to wilt.  Drain any excess liquid.

In the bowl of a food processor, puree the pesto, cooked chard, and lemon juice. Add the dressing and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the mozzarella, peas, salt, and pepper. (I like peas fresh out of the shell with no cooking, but it you don't care for slightly crunchy peas cook them before adding to the pasta).  Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

This was a great pasta salad for our Memorial Day cookout!  That's what has been cooking in my kitchen.  If you want to peak into other kitchens and see what others are cooking, head over to Thursday’s Kitchen Cupboard at the Gardener of Eden.