Wild garlic pesto pasta with peas, lemon and toasted walnuts

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat, shaking or stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly browned, 3–4 minutes. Tip them into a bowl to cool.

2. 2

   Make the pesto: add the wild garlic, toasted walnuts (reserve a small handful for topping if you like), vegetarian hard cheese, the zest of the lemon and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper to a food processor. Pulse, then drizzle in 80 ml olive oil while blending to a loose, bright-green paste. Stop as soon as it holds together — do not over-process or the pesto will heat and darken.

3. 3

   Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add about 1 tbsp sea salt, then add the dried spaghetti. Cook according to the packet until al dente — start checking at 9 minutes. Stir occasionally.

4. 4

   With 60 seconds left on the pasta, add the frozen peas to the saucepan so they cook through in the same water.

5. 5

   Before draining, ladle and reserve about 150 ml of the hot pasta water. Then drain the spaghetti and peas in a colander.

6. 6

   Return the drained pasta and peas to the warm saucepan off the heat. Add the pesto, remaining 40 ml olive oil, the juice of the lemon, and the unsalted butter. Toss gently for 1 minute, adding reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce clings to the pasta and looks glossy.

7. 7

   Season to taste with sea salt, black pepper and chilli flakes if using. Give a final toss to combine.

8. 8

   Serve immediately scattered with the reserved toasted walnut pieces, extra grated vegetarian hard cheese and a little extra lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil if you like.

Tips

• Don’t over-blend the pesto — short pulses keep it bright and stop the leaves heating and turning brown.
• Always reserve some pasta water; the starchy water is what turns the pesto into an emulsion that clings to each strand.
• Toast the walnuts briefly for extra depth, but watch them closely — walnuts burn quickly.
• Make the pesto ahead and keep in the fridge with a thin film of olive oil on top; it will keep 2–3 days and makes the final cook even faster.
• If you need a nut-free version, swap walnuts for toasted sunflower seeds — the texture changes slightly but the dish still works well.

Substitutions

• walnuts → pine nuts, same quantity (80 g)

  Stays close

• vegetarian hard cheese → nutritional yeast, 3 tbsp

  Noticeably different

• dried spaghetti → gluten-free pasta, same weight

  Stays close

• olive oil → rapeseed oil, same quantity

  Stays close

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

890

Calories

25 g

Protein

85 g

Carbs

50 g

Fat

7 g

Fibre

5 g

Sugar

650 mg

Sodium

FAQ