How to make a green-packed vegetable pasta

As it’s meat-free Monday, get all your greens packed into this bright – and speedy – pasta dish

Very green Tenderstem pasta

This pasta dish is packed with green goodness without lacking on flavour, thanks to a delicious, freshly-made basil pesto. Ready in a few simple steps, this dish makes the perfect week-night supper, and leftovers will make a tasty and hassle-free lunch! Thanks to our winner of the Tenderstem National Recipe Hunt, Isabel Morgan, for this recipe.

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins

Serves 4

1 pack Tenderstem, each stem cut into 4
​200g fusilli pasta
1 cup frozen peas
2 portobello mushrooms, cut into cubes
​2 courgettes (grated or spiralised)
Cress, to garnish

Pesto

1 handful spinach
1 bunch basil leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small garlic clove
Zest of lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all the pesto ingredients in a blender with half the Tenderstem, and blend until smooth.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Add the peas to the pasta for the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan. Add the mushrooms and remaining Tenderstem, and fry until the mushrooms are a slight golden colour and the Tenderstem still has a slight crunch, then add the courgette.

Once the courgette is cooked through, turn off the heat.

Once cooked, drain the pasta and peas (leaving a small amount of the cooking liquid to loosen the pesto).

Stir the pasta, pesto and veg together and top it off with some fresh cress.

Recipe from tenderstem.co.uk