Pea Pesto Pasta with Burrata and Sun Dried Tomatoes

There’s something about this time of year that has me craving pasta. I’m not much for really heavy meat sauces as we creep forward into spring. I want something lighter and springy like this pea pesto pasta with burrata and sun dried tomatoes.

Ok so maybe lighter isn’t the right word what with that beautiful hunk of burrata cheese. If you haven’t had it, you need to try it asap. Burrata is basically fresh mozzarella with a cream center.

So burrata is pretty much the Cadbury egg of the cheese world. In my mind this makes perfect sense. Cream filled chocolate egg, cream filled cheese. Poe-tay-toe. Poe-tah-toe. But major difference between Cadbury eggs and burrata: Cadbury eggs likely don’t taste amazing on pasta (I’m not certain of this fact as I’ve never tested it myself but just taking a wildly educated guess) but burrata does.

The outside of the burrata starts to melt from the pasta’s heat. And when you cut into it with your fork all the cream from the inside streams out and coats the pasta in glorious buttery creaminess. It is literally the best.

That buttery creaminess goes so well with the pea pesto. The pea pesto is more mellow than a straight basil pesto. Peas have that sweet mild taste that makes this pesto a bit sweet behind the bit of spicy bite from the fresh garlic and the notes of bright acidity from the lemon juice. It really does hit all the flavors. I just couldn’t get enough of it.

And like most pesto, this pea pesto is super easy to make. A lot of people think pesto is really hard to make, but it’s not. I promise. All you do is through the ingredients into a food processor and pulse away.

Then pour on top of pasta- I used linguine- and toss with extra peas, some walnuts, and sun dried tomatoes. Finish the whole beautiful mess off with that lovely hunk of burrata.

Looking for other springy pasta recipes? Try these:

• Pasta with white beans
• Easy Bruscetta Pasta
• Lemon and Spinach Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes
• Easy Italian Pasta with Chickpeas (Pasta e Ceci)
• The Best Shrimp Caprese Pasta
• Balsamic Tomato Chicken Pasta
• Caramelized Onion and Roasted Asparagus Pasta

Looking for other recipes with burrata? Try these:

• The Best Burrata Caprese Salad
• Tomato Pasta with Burrata
• Burrata Panzanella Salad Recipe

Pea Pesto Pasta with Burrata and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Pea Pesto with Burrata and Sun Dried Tomatoes is an easy, elegant spring dinner that is quick enough for a weeknight but fancy enough to entertain with.

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Course: dinner, pasta, vegetarian

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: 2 large servings

Author: Seasoned Sprinkles

Ingredients

For the pesto

• 2 cups peas
• 6 tbs olive oil divided
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 6 cloves of garlic peeled
• 1/8 tsp red pepper
• zest of half a lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
• 20 basil leaves
• juice of 1/2 lemon

For the pasta

• 1/2 pound of linguine or pasta of your choice
• 1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes
• 2 balls of burrata cheese*

Instructions

• Boil the pasta according to directions on the package.
• While the pasta is boiling, heat a large pan over medium low to medium heat with half of the olive oil. Peel the garlic cloves and gently crush them by pressing down on them by with a knife on its side to release their fragrance. Add the peas, white wine, lemon zest, spices, and garlic to the pan. Cook until the peas turn bright green and soften slightly about 3 minutes-4 minutes. Add the contents of the pan to a food processor along with the basil, lemon juice, walnuts and cheese. Pulse to blend it together and add the remaining oil a little at a time until the pesto reaches desired consistency.
• Pour pesto over hot, cooked, drained noodles and toss with sun dried tomatoes. Plate and top with a burrata ball. Enjoy.

Notes

Omit red pepper if you don't like heat.
If doubling the recipe, add enough burrata for everyone to have their own ball of cheese.
Use any kind of pasta you like but thicker pasta like linguine or fettucine will hold up the best with the sauce. Ziti or rigatoni would also work well.

Nutrition

Serving: 2large servings

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