Halloumi Pesto Pasta
A simple vegetarian pasta dinner with peas and fried halloumi. You can choose to make this with prepared pesto for a very quick and easy dinner, or use my recipe for minty pistachio pesto for something special.
Ingredients
- 225 g (8 oz) halloumi, sliced
- 150 g (1 cup) cherry tomatoes , halved
- 250 g (2 cups) frozen peas
- 300 g (11 oz) spaghetti
Minty Pistachio Pesto
- 5 tbsp pistachios, pine nuts, cashews, or any other nuts are fine to swap in
- 75 g (3 cups) basil leaves
- 10 g (¼ cup) mint leaves
- 60 g (2 cups) spinach leaves
- 45 g (⅓ cup) parmesan or Italian hard cheese, grated
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lemon juiced
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare the pesto. Pulse the garlic, nuts and parmesan in a small food processor until chopped. Add the basil, mint and spinach in batches, alongside the lemon juice and olive oil, until you have a well blended but still slightly textured sauce.5 tbsp pistachios, 75 g basil leaves, 10 g mint leaves, 60 g spinach leaves, 45 g parmesan or Italian hard cheese, 2 cloves garlic, 80 ml olive oil, 1 lemon juiced
- Prepare your pasta. Boil according to package instructions, adding the peas for just the last minute of cook time. Drain and toss with pesto. Set aside while you prepare the halloumi.300 g spaghetti, 250 g frozen peas
- Fry your halloumi. Heat a small layer of oil in a frying pan, at a medium-high heat, then add the halloumi slices and cook for a 2-3 minutes on each side until golden.225 g halloumi
- Plate it up! Scoop some spaghetti onto a plate, making sure to grab lots of peas from the pan as well. Add halloumi slices, then cherry tomatoes on top. (You could additionally garnish this with extra herb leaves, chopped pistachios or shaved parmesan if you wish.)150 g cherry tomatoes
Calories: 790kcal, Carbohydrates: 73g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 41g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 20g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 881mg, Potassium: 681mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 3337IU, Vitamin C: 46mg, Calcium: 800mg, Iron: 4mg