Jodee Jernigan | Contributor

Did you know that March is National Peanut Month? I didn't either until recently, but then again, I never need an excuse to eat my favorite legume. 

People usually associate peanut butter with sweet jelly sandwiches or cookies, but I especially love when it is used in savory dishes. Peanut Butter Pasta is my all-time favorite go-to recipe, and people often give me strange looks when I mention it — until they try it. If you have never tried a savory peanut sauce over pasta you are in for a treat.

I first found this recipe in the 1990s in a wonderful cookbook that is unfortunately now out of print, "Vegetarian Express" by Nava Atlas and Lilian Kayte. As a brand-new vegetarian and a novice cook, this book taught me how to get dinner on the table in a hurry. 

Even now after I have added close to 50 more vegetarian cookbooks to my collection, I still drag out my dog-eared copy once a week. Peanut Butter Spirals became my favorite recipe not only because it was delicious and easy to make, but I also usually had the pantry ingredients on hand. 

If I hadn't been to the grocery store all week, I could still make this. It became my husband's favorite recipe that got us through many late work-nights. After we had kids, it became my son's favorite meal. His toddler sister is now joining his lead. 

I have tweaked the original recipe slightly so that it makes more pasta — we can never have enough leftovers of this dish. 

The peanut sauce is simply whirred in the food processor, which gives you plenty of time to also make a few side dishes. I usually serve with Honey-Mustard Roasted Carrots and some steamed broccoli. Frozen peas are added to the pasta while cooking, so it's a great one-dish meal even without sides. 

The dish is mild and great for kids, but adults might want to pass some hot sauce around the table to spice up their plates. My husband and I enjoy ours sprinkled with locally made Clancy's Fancy. My son likes it when I add cubed baked tofu to the dish — Trader Joe's makes a Teriyaki flavor that works well.

Nava Atlas recently updated "Vegetarian Express" with a new cookbook entitled "Vegan Express". Only a few recipes from the original book were ported over to the new version and, sadly, Peanut Butter Pasta was not one of them.

Throughout the years, however, I have emailed it to friends, shared it on message boards, and even submitted it to the PTA cookbook for my son's school. I think it is a recipe every busy cook — and mom — should have.

Peanut Butter Pasta
Adapted from Vegetarian Express by Nava Atlas and Lillian Kayte (1995)

1 pound whole-wheat rotini or penne
¾ cup peanut butter
1 cup water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 ½ cups frozen peas

Optional:
Hot sauce (to taste)
2-3 scallions, chopped
Baked tofu, diced (Asian or savory flavor)

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, according to package directions.
2. Combine remaining ingredients (except for peas and optional ingredients) in a food processor. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust flavors if necessary. (Sauce will be thin but will thicken on standing.)
3. When pasta has about 4 minutes left, add peas to pot and return to boil.
4. Once pasta has finished, drain and return to the pot. Add prepared sauce and toss well to cover. Add diced tofu, if using, to warm through.
5. Serve topped with chopped scallions, if desired, and pass hot sauce to anyone who'd like to spice up the dish.

Jodee Jernigan writes about vegan and vegetarian food for AnnArbor.com. She's a mom, a pop culture junkie and an occasional movie extra. You can reach her at jodee.jernigan@gmail.com.