Pesto pasta with goat cheese and sweet peas combines a classic basil pesto with spaghetti, sour and salty aged cheese and sweet green peas.
This super quick and easy dinner takes well under 30 minutes, even if you make homemade pesto.
Pesto Spaghetti with Peas and Goat Cheese
Pesto pasta is a well-trodden path when it comes to cooking a quick dinner.
I add a little extra to mine in the form of some hard goat cheese and sweet peas.
I love the goat cheese and peas combination. The acidic, salty flavour alongside the sweet explosions of peas is just wonderful as far as I am concerned.
It's a combination that I also use in my deep fried goat cheese and pea puree recipe.
I reckon the first time I had pesto spaghetti was as a student.
It, of course, consisted of pouring a jar of the cheapest pesto I could find into a bowl of the cheapest and probably, most overcooked pasta I could muster.
It also features another food crush of mine, pasta with peas. Whether it is my pea pesto pasta or my prawn and pea pasta, I love the combination!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to make my own pesto?
No, if you want to use store-bought pesto, feel free. Obviously, the better the pesto you use, the better this dish is.
Can I use a different type of pesto?
Yes, absolutely, I have mentioned a pea pesto above, although that might be pea overload in this recipe.
But I also have a rocket pesto that I use as a sauce base for this pesto pizza and wild garlic pesto in another pasta recipe.
This classic pesto alla Trapanese uses raisins, sun-dried tomatoes and almonds; it is to die for and would work really well with the goat cheese in this recipe.
What is aged goat cheese?
Most people associate goat cheese with a young soft goat "chevre", but it also makes a wonderful hard cheese when aged.
I love the stuff, and it has featured before in my pickled peach and goat cheese salad.
It is fairly readily available in the UK, and Tesco has a very good cave-aged goat cheese which I have used here, and Asda have a rather tasty goat cheese Gouda which I have tested.
Serving Suggestions
Your biggest choice to make with the recipe is pasta selection.
I've chosen to make this a pesto spaghetti with goat cheese, but this is a very versatile recipe, and you can get away with most pasta types.
The only thing I would avoid is tubes like penne or rigatoni. Apart from that, knock yourself out, everything from tagliatelle to the less well-known, trofie and casarecce pasta.
When it comes to sides, I'm firmly on team garlic bread, you could even add cheesy garlic bread.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- 20cm or 8" saucepan.
- Small frying pan to toast the pine nuts.
- Pestle and mortar, and or mini blender if you are making pesto.
- Sieve or colander.
- Stirring and serving spoons or kitchen tongs.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Pesto Pasta Recipe with Goat Cheese and Peas
Ingredients
- 175 g Spaghetti 6oz
- 125 g Basil Pesto (see recipe below)
- 100 g Aged Goats Cheese 1 Cup
- 25 g Pine nuts 3 tablespoon
- 100 g Peas ¾ Cup
- Salt (for boiling pasta)
For Homemade Pesto:
- 20 g Pine Nuts 2 tablespoon
- 25 g Basil Leaves ¾-1 Cup
- 15 g Parmesan Cheese 3 tablespoon
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 50 ml Olive Oil 3 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- Bring a 20cm or 8" saucepan of generously salted water to a boil (I use 1½ teaspoons in a pan this size), and use this to cook your spaghetti as per the instructions. This should take around 8-10 minutes.
- Defrost the peas by running them under cold water in a sieve for 4-5 minutes.
- Whilst the pasta is cooking, toast the pine nuts in a small frying pan.
- Crumble the goat cheese.
- 1 minute before the pasta is ready to come out of the pan, add the defrosted peas.
- When your pasta is cooked al dente, drain, reserving a little (75ml or ⅓ Cup) of the cooking liquid.
- Return the pasta to the cooking pan over a low-medium heat and mix in the pesto, two-thirds of the goat cheese, and half of the pine nuts and mix with enough of the cooking liquid to make a nice "sauce".
- Serve and sprinkle with the remaining goat cheese and pine nuts.
Homemade Pesto:
- If you are making your own pesto, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan.
- Transfer to a blender, add the remaining ingredients and blitz until an appropriate texture is achieved. I like to pound my pesto in a pestle and mortar after I have blended it in order to really get the oils flowing.
Laura
Monday 4th of February 2019
lovely recipe, I am not running away, you will find me anywhere there is cheese. Clever idea combining goat cheese with peas.
sara | belly rumbles
Monday 4th of February 2019
I hate to say this, I am one of those people running away from this recipe. Hmm hang on, why run away when I could easily replace with a labne. I love everything else about this recipe! Especially the pine nuts, oh heaven.
Linda @ With A Blast
Monday 4th of February 2019
My family would love this Pesto Spaghetti for dinner !
Kavey Favelle
Monday 4th of February 2019
I adore goats cheese, and I particularly like it with peas, as their sweetness balances so nicely with the goats cheese flavours. Your recipe looks so light, colourful and delicious.
Jillian
Monday 4th of February 2019
I love pesto and I love how easy this looks!