Pea Pesto Dip

This recipe came about because I have had some frozen peas in the freezer for a while and I wanted to use them up. I decided to make a dip out of them and went with a pesto sort of theme for the base. The best part about this recipe was that I used ingredients that I had in the house already and did not have to buy anything new. It was surprisingly sweet even with the salt and Parmesan cheese in it and it was great paired with some regular pita bread.

Pea Pesto Dip

2 C frozen peas, thawed

1/4 C sun dried tomatoes

1/4 C walnuts, toasted

2 T basil paste*

3 cloves of garlic

1/4 C grated or shredded Parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

2 T olive oil

In a small skillet, on medium heat, toast walnuts; let cool slightly. Put peas, tomatoes, walnuts, basil paste, and cheese in food processor and pulse a few times. Turn on and stream in oilve oil. Season with salt and pepper. 

I chose to use only 2 tablespoons of oil because I wanted it to be thick like a dip. If you wanted to use this as a sauce, use 1/4 C of oil.

Serve with pita bread, cracker or veggies. 

*I would normally use fresh basil leaves, but I had this on hand.