Pasta with peas is a great quick and easy dinner idea that uses pantry ingredients.
This classic Italian recipe, Pasta e Piselli, is great as is or delicious with some meaty additions such as bacon or pancetta. I veer from the classic recipe and add some lemon at the end to brighten all of the flavors. One of the main reasons I love this recipe is it's kid friendly. I prefer using the small shell pasta because the peas get nestled in the little shell crevice like a little cup. It makes it oddly satisfying to eat.
How do you make Pasta with Peas?
Start by gathering your ingredients: pasta, olive oil, butter, broth, frozen peas, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and finely chopped onion. Additional ingredients I like to add are grated garlic, fresh basil and some lemon.
Boil your favorite short pasta in a big pot of generously salted water. Carefully scoop up one cup of the pasta water before straining the pasta. Melt your butter and olive olive in a pretty large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic (if you are using pancetta or bacon you would add it to the pan as well) and cook until soft, careful not to burn the garlic. Add the frozen peas to the pan and cook until thawed. Season with salt and pepper, then add the freshly cooked pasta and parmesan to the pan. Stir the pasta and peas and add some pasta water if it's too dry. Finish with a squirt of lemon juice and some fresh basil.
This recipe is so simple it'd be very easy to spruce up. Some ideas include:
- Make it creamy by adding some ricotta cheese
- Add more vegetables like asparagus or broccoli
- Add some cooked chicken or canned tuna
- Finish with some toasty breadcrumbs for some crunch
Cooking this Recipe the Traditional Way
Traditionally, you would cook the pasta in the same pot as the peas stirring with lots of liquid and stirring the post constantly. Feel free to use this method, I just find it easier to cooking the pasta in boiling water to perfection and transferring it over to the sauce. I also find I can control the mushiness of the peas by cooking them separately as well.
If you love this pasta with peas recipe, I would love to know! You can rate this recipe and leave a comment, and tag a photo on Instagram @hungrywaitress! Here's the recipe:
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Pasta with Peas
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Pasta with peas is a great emergency meal using pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 lb short cut pasta, orecchiette or small shells are my favorite
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, or one small onion
- 2 cups frozen peas, or one 12oz bag
- 1 cup reserved pasta water, don't forget to scoop some out before draining your pasta
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Additional optional ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 1 lemon juiced
Instructions
- Boil your favorite short pasta in a big pot of generously salted water. Carefully scoop up a cup of the pasta water before straining the pasta.
- Melt your butter and olive olive in a large pan (at least 12") over medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic (if you are using pancetta or bacon you would add it to the pan as well) and cook until soft, careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add the frozen peas to the pan and cook until thawed and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Toss the freshly cooked pasta and parmesan to the pan and mix in the reserved one cup of pasta water.
- Finish with lemon juice, some fresh basil and additional Parmesan, salt and pepper if desired.
Equipment
All Purpose Pan with Lid, 3 Quart
Buy Now →- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: pasta with peas, pasta and peas, spring dinner recipe, easy dinner recipe
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