This lemon basil pesto pasta is SO good! A quick lemon basil pesto is tossed with hot pasta for a delicious and quick meal.

Lemon basil pesto pasta. Isn’t that fun to say!? It’s almost as fun as going to jury duty during your 9 day vacation. Yeah NOT! Jury duty was today, well today as in yesterday. But something happened at jury duty that I didn’t expect, the “criminals” settled their cases or took a plea bargain or whatever it is they do, and I literally spent one hour and a half in that large, sterile, grey room that I swear was being pumped with hot air that was only adding to my anxiety-sweating problem.

And I can say without a single {or beyond reasonable, ha!} doubt that getting up at 6am just isn’t for me. I mean I can do it… but there is just something wrong with getting out of bed when it’s still dark outside. But then again… maybe if I went to bed a decent time I’d have a different opinion of the matter. For me I’m all about weekends, room darkening curtains and the fact my girls can pour their own Cheerios. Because I live for sleeping-in and by sleeping in I mean 9am. Does that mean I’m old?

Speaking of criminal, wanna see a behind the scenes look at my kitchen from the aftermath of this recipe?? You should see the other side… way worse. If you can believe it. That’s where the pots, pans and the morning’s dishes are. I’m saving your eyes from that mess, that and I’m too ashamed.

Pesto is HUGE with my kids. They love this recipe in particular. But today I set off to the store to buy fresh tuna and make you a light and refreshing pesto tuna pasta salad. But guess what? The store had no tuna. Yeah… I was pisssssed. Not even frozen {yeah. I know.} So just imagine how yummy this would be with grilled tuna! Can you EVEN imagine? No really can you imagine and pretend there is some tuna up in hurrr?

Fill up a large pot with water. Glad I snapped a shot of that for ya aren’t you… like you couldn’t imagine how to fill a pot of water. Ha!…and sorry.

This is my sea salt.

I like to add a palmful of it to my boiling water to help season the pasta. Do it once and taste your pasta… it really flavors the normally bland carbohydrate… and you’ll be hooked! Promise.

Drop in a pound of pasta. I’m using mini ziti, but any small pasta should do and follow the package instructions.

Then rinse off your basil and parsley.

Next, chop off a bunch.

And then roughly chop it up.

I then opened up the can of anchovies, measured and drained two to three tablespoons of capers (I honestly lost count), zested a lemon and smashed the beejesus out of a clove of garlic.

Then, in a food processor, mine is of the mini kind, add the parsley, basil and garlic.

Next, add in half of the zest, the capers and two anchovy fillets.

Then add in the teaspoon of brown mustard.

Next blitz it until it’s creamy.

Then, with three minutes left on the pasta, drop in the peas.

Once the pasta is cooked, pour it into a colander to drain it.

Then toss the peas and pasta in a bowl and add in the lemon & basil pesto.

Next, add in the remaining zest and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.

Then give it all a stir.

Finally, taste the pesto-pasta and season to taste.

Ooops! It happens.

Serve this lemon basil pesto pasta and immediately start shoveling it in to your face all the while thinking how freaking more amazing it would be if your grocery store carried fresh tuna. If only…. I know, where that empty spot on my fork is… pretend there’s a perfectly flaked piece of tuna. Man I’m so bitter, ugh.

Enjoy! And if you give this Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta recipe a try, let me know by snapping a photo and tagging me on twitter or instagram!

My cookbook Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy is now available! CLICK HERE for details and THANK YOU in advance! 

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Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta

This lemon basil pesto pasta is SO good! A quick lemon basil pesto is tossed with hot pasta for a delicious and quick meal.

Ingredients

• 1 pound small shaped pasta
• 1 bunch fresh basil (about a cup)
• 1 small bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoon capers, drained
• 2 anchovy fillets
• zest and juice of a lemon
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard
• 1 garlic Clove, smashed and peeled
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups frozen petite peas
• 1/2 scant teaspoon kosher salt, more or less to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package. In the last three minutes of cooking, add the frozen peas, then drain.
2. But in the meantime prepare your pesto.
3. Wash the herbs and roughly chop the parsley. Zest the entire lemon and drain the capers. In a mini processor; add in the herbs, garlic, capers, half of the zest, mustard and anchovy fillets. Return the lid, turn it on and slowly add the oil.
4. Add the drained pasta and peas to a large bowl. Add the pesto, the remaining lemon zest, then squeeze a half of the lemon over top and toss.
5. Check for salt and season according to your taste.