pesto pasta salad

Yesterday I popped a frozen pizza in the oven and then proceeded to make ice cream, brownies, coffee creamer, roasted veggies, hard boiled eggs and pesto pasta salad.

The frozen pizza was for my sanity.

Because clearly, I am a special kind of weirdo. However, all those steps were worth it and I'm finally becoming enough of an organized person to clean up WHILE I WAS GOING. I know. Mark the calendars.

And if you're wondering...the brownies and buttermint ice cream were combined into a heavenly sandwich [I'm never going to blog that, but you can make your own from those links]. The vegan coffee creamer may be better than my favorite [I'll work on a recipe].

 

Back when I lived in Durham, my favorite space to spend my days was Parker and Otis, an adorable space to get gifts and coffee and lunch. The Best Coffee! The Best Back Porch! The Best Scones! The Best Grilled Pimento Cheese! The Best Pasta Salad! [Spoiler: I'm about to do a riff on their pasta salad.] If you're in the Durham area, go for me. Please.

SO, this pasta salad. It's not creamy. It's pasta and spinach and peas smothered in pesto sauce. It's refreshing and light and the perfect compliment to a grilled cheese or a burger [if you're so inclined to go in a meaty direction].

PEAS. I HATE PEAS. Or at least I did as a child when I was forced to eat them so I swallowed them like pills just so I didn't have to taste them. Now, I'm not sure how I feel about them. When I wandered off in my vegetarian direction, I started trying all kinds of things and I don't hate peas. Had I been creating a false narrative of peas in my childhood? Did my tastebuds change? DID I GROW UP?

 

 

Pesto Pasta Salad
1/2 - 3/4 pound Rotini pasta [or a pasta shape of your choice]
3/4 bag o' frozen peas
box of baby spinach - tear off the stems
1-2 jars of pesto [or make your own! you do you.]
grated parm [optional]

Cook the pasta in salty [like the sea] water. While the pasta is hot, throw in your frozen peas and stir to combine. Pick the stems off you spinach and add that to the mix. Stir in  your pesto, feel free to go overboard because it will dry out some as the pasta absorbs some of the oil. Add in the grated parmesan last and make sure everything is all jazzed to be together. IT IS JAZZED.

 

Mix it all up and pop it in a bowl. Eat it in the next 2-3 days, the pasta will start to absorb the olive oil from the pesto, but it will still taste good. You can add more pesto or olive oil if you heart so desires. One of my friends at work made this and added tomato and little mozzarella balls [instead of the parm] -- GENIUS! Add chicken. Trade the peas for some asparagus. Make it the same way I did. YOU DO YOU. 

Just eat something lovely and green for the summer, ok?