Lunch: Backyard Pasta with Mint-Pea Pesto

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Lemon, Nuts, Walnuts

Health and fertility benefits of Backyard Pasta with Mint-Pea Pesto

Lemons can help to prevent oxidative damage to the body, which women with PCOS are often susceptible to. Nuts are a natural source of Inositol, a derivative of Vitamin B (which is often prescribed in the form of supplements for women with PCOS). Inositol can effectively control the symptoms of PCOS by reducing insulin resistance and improving insulin sensitivity. Walnuts are low on the glycemic index. What’s more, they also lower the glycemic index of other foods that you eat in conjunction with these nuts. Any kind of nuts provide a healthy source of fat and a great way to encourage PCOS weight loss.

Ingredients

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
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound pasta

Instructions

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.
NotesCook's Note: Make this pasta your own by adding in whatever vegetables you have around. The ones noted here happened to be what I had in the fridge, but really anything that can be put on the grill (eggplant, summer squash, etc.) would be perfect.

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