Spring Pea-sto with Whole-Wheat Penne

This actually turned out really well, but we have to admit, we just don't like pesto. This was my last ditch effort as I had all the fresh basil. Seriously it looked perfect, was easy to make....but we just don't like pesto! But since it is a great recipe, I decided to post it here for anyone who does like pesto.

Spring Pea-sto with Whole-Wheat Penne

Salt
1 pound whole-wheat penne pasta [this has a lot of fiber and actually tasted pretty good]
1 package frozen peas, defrosted
1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
1 cup packed basil leaves [from my aero-garden!]
6 to 8 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves stripped [I didn't have fresh tarragon so I used parsley and thyme.]
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano, a couple of handfuls, plus extra to top with
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil [you are looking for a consistency, not a specific amount]
Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil then season water with salt and cook penne to al dente. Heads up: you will need to reserve 1 or 2 ladles of starchy cooking water, 1/2 to 3/4 cup, before draining the pasta.

Place 1/2 of the peas in the bottom of a large serving dish. Place the rest of the peas in a food processor with the pine nuts, basil, tarragon leaves, lemon zest, cheese and olive oil. Add a little salt and pepper then process the pesto into rough paste, adjust seasonings.

Pour starchy water over peas in bowl then add pesto. Pour hot, drained pasta over the pesto and toss vigorously to coat and combine. Adjust seasoning and serve, passing extra cheese at the table.