pesto pasta

Makes: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 large courgette
400–500 g orzo
150–200 g pesto
juice of ½ lemon
100 g frozen peas (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Add a generous amount of olive oil to a large pan and heat over medium heat. Slice the onion in half, then thinly slice each half into 1 cm pieces.

2. Put the onion in the pan and cover for 5 minutes while you prepare the garlic and courgette. Slice the garlic very finely (or crush it) and dice the courgette into small cubes.

3. Add the garlic and courgette to the pan and cook for 15 minutes over medium-low heat. You can cook them longer if time allows, as the browned onions provide extra depth.

4. After 10 minutes, boil a pan of salted water and add the orzo. Cook until slightly firm (about 8 minutes) save 250 ml of pasta water and add it to the pan aswell as the orzo.

5. Combine the orzo with the vegetables, then stir in the pesto and cook for 10 minutes until the pasta is soft Stir well and add the lemon juice and frozen peas if using.