One Pot Creamy Quick Pasta e Piselli (Pasta with Peas)

This creamy, delicious pasta e piselli, or pasta with peas, is a super-easy one-pot dinner recipe that can be made in under 20 minutes. This spring pasta dish is made with short/small pasta and fresh or frozen peas. A comforting and super simple meal.

What is pasta e piselli?

It’s a traditional Italian dish that is made using any small pasta shapes and peas (piselli in Italian) that are cooked with shallots/onion, garlic, fresh parsley, and grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan.

Known as a poor man’s dish, it is made using minimal ingredients. Though it looks simple, the dish is packed with amazing flavors from sweet pea and Pecorino Romano cheese. You must try my other ridiculously delicious and simple pasta dinner recipes: sweet corn pasta, creamy garlic pasta, and creamy lemon pasta.

Why you’ll love pasta and peas

1. Super-easy, one-pot dinner whipped in under 20 minutes.
2. Poor man’s dish made with simple pantry ingredients.
3. A comforting meal is ideal for the spring season.
4. Utterly delicious.
5. Easy to customize, add ham, pancetta, or bacon as per your liking. Feel free to include vegetables too.

Ingredients

Pasta – Short pasta is great. It’s best to use pasta shapes that will hold the sauce. Shell pasta, macaroni (elbow pasta), ditalini, orecchiette, cavatappi, rotini, farfalle, and rigatoni are best.

Peas – fresh peas or frozen peas both work great. Fresh peas will need slightly longer cooking time.

Hot water or chicken stock, or vegetable stock – For the best flavor, I highly recommend you use chicken stock or homemade instant pot bone broth.

Olive oil – Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.

Aromats – shallots and garlic. Highly recommend you use shallot or yellow onion and fresh garlic over dried onion and garlic powder.

Fresh basil or fresh parsley for garnish. Adds freshness and enhances the flavors.

Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese – I highly recommend you to buy a cheese block and grating it fresh when you cook. Avoid using pre-grated cheese from a bag.

Variations

Add ham, pancetta, or bacon as per your liking. Feel free to include vegetables too.

For the best flavor, I highly recommend you use chicken stock instead of water.

Sprinkle red chili flakes at the end to add kick to the dish.

Step-by-step Instructions

Step 1: Heat olive oil in a large pan. Sauté shallots until they turn soft and translucent.

Step 2: Cook minced garlic for 10-20 seconds.

Step 3: Add frozen peas, sauté well along with shallots and garlic.

Step 4: Pour hot water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 5: Allow water/broth to come to a boil.

Step 6: Simmer heat, transfer almost half of the peas from the pan to another pot along with a little water.

Step 7: Blend the pea mixture using a stick blender or transfer to a blender jar to blend.

Step 8: Transfer back smooth, pureed pea mix back to the pan with the stock.

Add pasta as well. Turn on the heat to medium-high and cook pasta in pea mix until al dente. Remember to stir the pasta at regular intervals to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Tip: add a splash of boiling water in case the sauce is dry while the pasta cooks.

Step 9: Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the pasta is al dente; the pasta will continue to cook in the residual heat of the pan.

Tear fresh basil leaves by hand and add them to the pan. Grate Pecorino Romano cheese over the pasta.

Step 10: Stir with gentle hands.

Serve hot immediately.

Best Tips

1. Always cook pasta al dente.
2. This pasta e piselli can be served in a thick sauce dish or as a soup. Adjust the amount of chicken stock or hot water as per your choice.
3. Blending peas is an optional step, but I highly recommend it. Pureed peas add body to the sauce and make the dish creamy and delicious.
4. Use a stick immersion blender to blend peas, as it’s quick and easy. If you want to use a regular blender, add a couple of splashes of water to get a smooth pea puree blend.
5. Shred cheese from the block instead of buying pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has fillers (non-caking agents) that will prevent the cheese from melting and cause the sauce to turn grainy.
6. Add a splash of boiling water in case the sauce is dry while the pasta cooks.

Storage

I recommend serving it immediately as the pasta with peas will thicken as it cools. Reheating will result in the pasta breaking as it gets overcooked.

If you have leftovers and prefer to store them, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of water or chicken stock to loosen the sauce.

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📋Pasta e Piselli (Pasta with Peas)

Jyothi Rajesh

This creamy, delicious pasta e piselli, or pasta with peas, is a super-easy one-pot dinner recipe that can be made in under 20 minutes. This spring pasta dish is made with short/small pasta and fresh or frozen peas. A comforting and super simple meal perfect for mid-week dinner.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 servings

Calories 388

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cups short pasta shells, ditalini, Orecchiette, or Cavatelli
• ▢ 2 cups frozen peas
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ ½ cup shallots
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 3 cups hot water
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
• ▢ 5-10 fresh basil leaves or fresh parsley
• ▢ ½ cup Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

Instructions

 

• Heat olive oil in a large pan. Sauté shallots until they turn soft and translucent.
• Cook minced garlic for 10-20 seconds.
• Add frozen peas, sauté well along with shallots and garlic.
• Pour hot water and allow it to bring to boil.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer heat, transfer almost half of the peas from the pan to another pot along with a little water.
• Blend the pea mixture using a stick blender or transfer to a blender jar to blend.
• Transfer back smooth, pureed pea mix back to the pan with the stock.
• Add pasta as well. Turn on the heat to medium-high and cook pasta in pea mix until al dente. Remember to stir the pasta at regular intervals to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Tip: add a splash of boiling water in case the sauce is dry while the pasta cooks.
• Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the pasta is al dente; the pasta will continue to cook in the residual heat of the pan.
• Tear fresh basil leaves by hand and add them to the pan.
• Grate Pecorino Romano cheese over the pasta.
• Stir with gentle hands.
• Serve hot immediately.

Video

Notes

1. Always cook pasta al dente.
2. This pasta e piselli can be served in a thick sauce dish or as a soup. Adjust the amount of chicken stock or hot water as per your choice.
3. Blending peas is an optional step, but I highly recommend it. Pureed peas add body to the sauce and make the dish creamy and delicious.
4. Use a stick immersion blender to blend peas, as it’s quick and easy. If you want to use a regular blender, add a couple of splashes of water to get a smooth pea puree blend.
5. Shred cheese from the block instead of buying pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has fillers (non-caking agents) that will prevent the cheese from melting and cause the sauce to turn grainy.
6. Add a splash of boiling water in case the sauce is dry while the pasta cooks.

 

Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 388kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 16gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 460mgPotassium: 413mgFiber: 7gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 635IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 183mgIron: 2mg

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