Mother's Day is this coming Sunday, and to celebrate I'm posting kid friendly recipes all week. I may be alone in this, but sometimes I have trouble figuring out different healthy(ish) options to serve my toddler, especially easy lunch recipes, and my idea of celebrating mothers is to have five new easy recipe options. Happy Mother's Day!

Sneaking veggies into a meal isn't all it is cracked up to be. Sometimes they seem to work seamlessly into a dish, while other times you just aren't fooling anyone. This pea pesto is one of my favorite seamless times. It is super simple, but somehow comes out tasting like you actually put effort into it. And the taste? Not veggie-like at all. In fact, it tastes just like a slightly sweet pesto and in many ways is an improvement on plain pesto because it is more mild. I love the bright green color and slightly chunky texture the peas add to this sauce. It seems like pasta dishes in general are usually popular with kids, and this one is no exception despite being covered with a vegetable. My toddler gives this pea pesto props for being fun to squeeze in her hands as well as into her mouth. Overall, it is a win for everyone. 

Pea Pesto Pasta

By Heat Oven To 350 Published 05/06/2014

Ingredients

• 1 pound (16 oz) whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 (10 oz) package frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• salt
• Grated Parmesan for serving

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Save out 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water before draining.
2. While pasta is cooking, cook peas according to package directions. Drain water from peas and add to the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and process until peas are coarsely chopped. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and pesto and process until smooth.
3. Add drained pasta back to the pot along with 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and the pea mixture. Stir together, adding mor cooking water if needed to get desired sauce thickness. Season to taste with salt and serve with grated Parmesan on top.

Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 5 mins.

Cook time:12 mins.
Total time: 17 mins.
Recipe Source: huffingtonpost.com

Posted in: Kid Friendly, Main Dish, Vegetarian