Donal's Family Kitchen40 Minutes

Mac ’n’ Peas

Name: Mac ’n’ Peas
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 350g macaroni; 300g frozen peas, defrosted (200g for the pesto, 100g to stir in); 1 garlic clove; 50g basil leaves; 15g mint leaves; 30g toasted pine nuts; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 100g mascarpone; 50g Parmesan cheese (or vegetarian alternative), grated, plus extra to scatter; 25g unsalted butter; 25g plain flour; 400ml vegetable stock; 75g mozzarella, grated

This pesto is great with other green veggies - you can try it with a mix of frozen broad beans and peas, or swap in half for raw broccoli florets.

Donal SkehanFrom the series · Donal's Family Kitchen

40 min totalServes 4Medium

Mac ’n’ Peas

Time40 min

Serves4

SkillMedium

ShowSuper Food In Minutes

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°CF/Gas 6. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 10 minutes until not quite cooked. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small food processor, blitz 200g peas with the garlic, basil, mint, pine nuts, the mascarpone and Parmesan. Loosen it up with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a pan, gradually add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then gradually add the vegetable stock until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Add the pesto and stir until smooth. Season to taste.

Stir the sauce through the pasta, add peas and tip into an ovenproof dish. Scatter with the rest of the Parmesan and the grated mozzarella and bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Cook's notes

Undercook the macaroni by a couple of minutes at the boiling stage — it keeps softening in the oven, and mushy pasta is the one thing to avoid here.
The mascarpone whizzed into the pesto is the secret to the creaminess, so don't be tempted to leave it out; defrosted frozen peas actually blend brighter than most fresh ones.
Add the stock gradually to the butter and flour, whisking as you go, so the sauce is smooth before the pesto goes in.
Keep the reserved 100g of whole peas for stirring through at the end — they give little pops of texture against the smooth sauce.
Scatter the mozzarella generously over the Parmesan; it's what gives you that bubbling, stretchy golden top.

Serve with A crisp, sharply dressed green salad or some quick-pickled cucumber is all it needs to balance the richness. Garlic bread on the side never goes amiss if you're feeding a hungry crowd.

Make ahead & storage Assemble it ahead and keep it covered in the fridge for up to a day before baking, adding ten minutes or so to the oven time from cold. Leftovers reheat well, loosened with a splash of milk to bring the sauce back.

40 MinutesVegetarian

Recipe by Donal Skehan · From the series Donal's Family Kitchen · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 15 July 2026

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

806kcal

27gprotein

88gcarbs

39gfat

Approximate — calculated from the ingredient list using USDA food data. A guide, not a medical figure.

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