📋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 perfect for mid-week dinner.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 388kcal
Ingredients
- 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
- Always cook pasta al dente.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add a splash of boiling water in case the sauce is dry while the pasta cooks.
Nutrition
Calories: 388kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 460mg | Potassium: 413mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 635IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 2mg