Backyard Pasta with Mint-Pea Pesto

Name: Backyard Pasta with Mint-Pea Pesto
Prep time: P0Y0M0DT0H25M0.000S
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H15M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT0H40M0.000S
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: Salt and ground black pepper; 1 pound pasta; For the vegetables:; 1 large red bell pepper, halved and seeded; 1 poblano pepper, halved and seeded; 2 ears sweet corn, shucked; 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise; 1/2 small bunch asparagus, trimmed; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; For the pesto:; 2 cups frozen or fresh (hulled) peas; 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves; 1 clove garlic, grated; 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to garnish; 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped; Zest and juice of 1 lemon; 3 tablespoons olive oil

Getting reviews...

Before skipping town for a week in Cape Cod, I had to do what any upstanding food fan would: clean out the fridge. Putting an assortment of deliciousness into a bowl with some pasta, sauce and cheese can only, by law of deductive reasoning, end up even more synergistically delicious than at the start. It's a no-brainer and always a crowd-pleaser. Take advantage of an already-active grill by bringing prepped vegetables, cooked pasta and prepared pesto to your next cookout. Throw the vegetables on the grill when you arrive and then toss everything together and serve - instant pasta salad!

Level: Easy
Total: 40 min

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 15 min

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Level: Easy
Total: 40 min

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 15 min

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Salt and ground black pepper

1 pound pasta

For the vegetables:

1 large red bell pepper, halved and seeded

1 poblano pepper, halved and seeded

2 ears sweet corn, shucked

1 zucchini, halved lengthwise

1/2 small bunch asparagus, trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

For the pesto:

2 cups frozen or fresh (hulled) peas

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

1 clove garlic, grated

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to garnish

1/3 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Preheat a gas grill to medium-high (or prepare the charcoals for a charcoal grill).
Add the peas to the boiling water and cook until tender and bright green, about 2 minutes. Using a small mesh sieve or slotted spoon, retrieve the peas from the boiling water and transfer to the bowl of a food processor (reserve the pot of boiling water). Add the mint, garlic, cheese, walnuts, lemon zest and juice to the bowl with the peas. Pulse the machine a few times to chop the ingredients up and then, with the machine running, stream the oil into the bowl to make a paste. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook to al dente according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and then drain the cooked pasta and reserve.
While the pasta is cooking, drizzle the vegetables with the olive oil and season with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally, until blackened and tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Let the cooked vegetables cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the corn, and then coarsely chop all the vegetables together.
In a large serving bowl, toss the pesto, cooked pasta and grilled vegetables together. Add a few splashes of the reserved pasta cooking water as needed to thin out the pesto and evenly coat everything. Serve the pasta garnished with additional grated cheese.