Why This Recipe Works

Alternative pesto alert: Pistachios and green peas are enlivened with refreshing mint, lemon zest, Parmesan, and garlic and blitzed up in a food processor to make a light yet nutty and buttery pesto. Toss it with penne and Swiss chard for a vibrant, veg-forward pasta.

Before You Begin

The pesto can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. To prevent browning, press plastic wrap flush to the surface or top with a thin layer of olive oil. Bring to room temperature before using. Instead of peas and pistachios, try thawed frozen fava beans and blanched almonds. You can also use other fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, or tarragon. Other short or tubular pasta shapes like fusilli, farfalle, orecchiette, ziti, or rigatoni work well. Swap in curly-leaf spinach for the Swiss chard.

Instructions

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. While water comes to boil, process 1 cup thawed frozen peas, ⅔ cup shelled pistachios, ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, 1 chopped garlic clove, 1½ teaspoons table salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of processor bowl as needed.

Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook, stirring often. One minute before pasta is finished cooking, add 1 pound Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped, to pot, stirring to submerge. Reserve ¾ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and chard and return them to pot.

Add pesto and ¼ cup reserved cooking water to pasta-chard mixture in pot and toss to combine. Adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed and season with salt to taste. Serve with extra Parmesan.