Cook the pasta according to the box in salted water with olive oil. I used Orecchiette because I like the way the "little ears" scoop up some sauce and peas, but any small shape should work.
Add the frozen peas to the pasta water for the last 6-8 minutes of cooking time. Quickly drain the peas & pasta in a colander and put them back into the saucepan - it's okay if a little cooking water clings to the pasta, that helps make the pasta sauce. If you're not making the pesto version, save about 3/4 cup of the cooking water by scooping it out with a measuring cup before you drain it.
For the pesto version, I added about 3 TB of pesto, straight from the freezer, to the saucepan and stirred. I didn't even have to turn the heat back on. You can also add pesto from a jar - it's usually sold next to the pastas and sauces in small jars. If you don't have pesto handy, add about 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and then drizzle the cooking water back in until you have a lightly coated dish. It won't be saucy, just moist enough to be tasty. Salt to taste.
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