This high protein pea pesto pasta is an easy weeknight dinner that’s packed with flavour and plant-based protein. Made with a vibrant green pea and basil pesto, with baby spinach and sundried tomatoes, it’s a simple, nourishing meal that comes together in under 30 minutes. It’s also dairy free, naturally vegan, and perfect for meal prep or lunch the next day.
The internet, and social media more specifically, is very much on a high-protein kick. It seems everyone is trying to get more protein into their diets. And while I do eat meat, I don’t love to eat it all the time and I definitely feel my best when I am incorporating more plant-based meals into my weekly diet.
So I thought it would be fun to create a delicious and easy plant-based pasta recipe that is what I enjoy eating, but make it full of protein so that you know it’s helping you hit that daily goal, while also helping keep you full for longer.
This pasta has 24g of protein per serve, without any meat or dairy. There is the simple swap of regular pasta for a high protein version, along with the humble pea which I still believe is one of the most underrated vegetables and is super high in protein, and a little nutritional yeast which adds not only flavour, but that’s right, more protein!
This pasta is the perfect meal prep option for the week as you can enjoy it warm or just eat it cold like a pasta salad. It’s got so much flavour, and you can feel good about sitting down with a big bowl of pasta and knowing you’ve still got your nutrition under control.
Key Ingredients
This recipe uses a bunch of easy to find ingredients to make a delicious homemade pea and basil pesto sauce to serve with pasta for a quick and delicious weeknight meal.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- High protein pasta – there are so many options available now in the supermarket for high protein pastas. I like the La Molisana High Protein Fusilli which is what I’ve used, as I don’t find it has a significant taste or texture difference, but use any you like.
- Baby spinach – any time I can throw in some baby spinach to my meal, I will, as it’s a great way to add volume and extra nutrients.
- Sundried tomatoes – these are optional, but I had some leftover from another recipe in my fridge and they just add so much extra flavour to the pasta. You could also just use some halved cherry tomatoes instead if you like.
- Frozen peas – my freezer ALWAYS has a bag of frozen peas in it. They are such a great addition to so many meals, and here they work perfectly blended up as a base for the pesto sauce.
- Basil leaves – keeps the traditional flavour of the pesto and gives it a vibrant flavour.
- Cashews – I am not a huge fan of pine nuts, so I always use a different nut in my homemade pesto recipes. Cashews give the pesto a super creamy texture, but you can honestly use any nuts you like. Pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, or even macadamia nuts all work well.
- Nutritional yeast – an essential ingredient in any dairy free or vegan pantry. This adds a slight cheesy, savoury flavour to the pesto plus it’s a good source of protein and vitamins.
- Garlic – adds a nice kick to the pesto without being overpowering.
- Lemon – enhances the flavour of the pesto and gives the dish a fresh, bright flavour.
- Olive oil – look for a good quality extra virgin olive oil that is mild to medium in flavour for the best tasting pesto.
Equipment and Tools
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- Food Processor – This is one of my most loved kitchen tools. It makes sauces like this pesto SO EASY to make, plus it’s very easy to clean and can go straight in the dishwasher.
Step-By-Step Instructions
I love this recipe because it’s so easy and simple to make that it is perfect for busy weeknights when you’re looking for something comforting but also still good for you.
Start by getting the pasta on. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the protein pasta according to packet instructions until al dente. With about 3 minutes remaining, place the frozen peas in a strainer or sieve and lower it into the pot to cook alongside the pasta.
💡 Now I can’t take credit for this brilliant idea of cooking the peas in a strainer in the same pot as the pasta – that was all Jamie Oliver. But I will be using this technique forever because it is such an efficiency hack!
Once cooked, remove the peas and set them aside and drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water.
Add the cooked peas to a food processor along with the basil, cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy and you get the desired consistency for pesto. If it’s a little thick, that’s ok, as we can thin it out with that reserved pasta water when mixing into the pasta. Give the pesto a taste and adjust the seasoning and lemon juice as needed.
Add the pesto to the pot with the warm pasta along with the chopped baby spinach and sundried tomatoes. Give everything a good mix to ensure the pesto mixes through and coats all the pasta. Add some of that reserved pasta water to help it along so that the pasta is more saucy and not dry.
Serve into bowls or meal prep containers and garnish with extra basil leaves and serve with some more lemon squeezed over the top if you like.
Storage Instructions
This pea pesto pasta is a great option for meal prep as you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can reheat the pasta in a pan over low heat or in the microwave (which is what I usually do). The pesto may thicken slightly when chilled, so you can add a splash of water when reheating to bring back the sauce.
You can also enjoy the leftovers cold like a pasta salad.
Recipe FAQs
Yes of course! Just note that the protein amount will be lower, but the dish will still be delicious. You could also choose to serve with some grilled chicken (just like this chicken and spinach pesto pasta), or add some tofu or chickpeas.
Yes, you can. The pea pesto can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
I actually love making pesto ahead of time before a camping trip and taking it with me so all I need to do is cook the pasta and mix through the sauce and dinner is done!
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More easy weeknight vegan meals:
Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Green Goddess Sauce
Gnocchi Puttanesca (Vegan!)
Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo
Healthy Kale Salad with Air Fried Tofu
Pea Pesto Pasta (High Protein + Vegan)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 350 grams high protein pasta
- 1 cup baby spinach roughly chopped
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes roughly chopped
For the pea pesto:
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves lightly packed
- ¼ cup cashews
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic
- Juice of ½ a lemon to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the protein pasta and cook according to packet instructions until al dente. With about 3 minutes remaining, place the frozen peas in a strainer or sieve and lower it into the pot to cook alongside the pasta.
- Once cooked, remove the peas and set them aside. Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water, and return the pasta to the pot.
- Add the cooked peas to a food processor along with the basil, cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning and lemon juice as needed.
- Add the pesto to the warm pasta along with the chopped baby spinach and sundried tomatoes. Mix well to coat, letting the residual heat from the pasta gently wilt the spinach. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if the pesto needs loosening.
- Divide between bowls and serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Elizabeth Gill says
So easy and delicious. I needed something fast and nutritious after a hard day’s work. Thanks again for your inspiration.