Pasta with Peas (Pasta e Piselli)
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Pasta e piselli translates to “pasta with peas,” a traditional Italian dish that’s simple, comforting and ready in a snap. This pasta and peas dish was initially created during a time when peasants in Italy could not find meat sources for protein. Thus, they included veggies, like peas, for protein.
Table of Contents
Why you need to try this recipe
I love creating this pea pasta recipe at home, as it requires minimal ingredients. Most of the ingredients for my peas and pasta recipe are pantry staples. If you don’t have any of the ingredients on hand, they’re easily found at local supermarkets.
This pasta piselli dish is also great because it’s super simple. Beginners through to advanced home chefs can easily whip up this dish in a few minutes. Simple, tasty, and quick, this pasta and peas recipe will be your new weekly favourite in no time.
Here’s 3 recipes with different types of pasta for you to try: Easy Red Pesto Pasta, Mushroom Rigatoni Ragu and Vegan Red Pepper Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
Frozen Peas
Any frozen peas are great for this pasta with peas dish. They’re frozen at peak freshness, adding vibrance and nutrients.
Fresh Mint
Pasta with lighter sauces and fresh mint is a perfect pairing! If you don’t have any growing in your garden, you can typically find fresh mint in the refrigerated produce section.
Ditali Pasta
I prefer using Ditali pasta for this pea pasta recipe. However, you can use any smaller pasta shapes like macaroni.
Freshly Grated Parmesan
Fresh parmesan cheese is essential for this piselli dish. It helps create the delicious, cheesy sauce that pasta and peas recipes (Italian-style) are known for.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make pasta with peas
- Start by finely dicing the onion (Image 1).
- Add with the extra-virgin olive oil into a large stainless steel saucepan/ or non-stick frying pan on a medium/low heat. Season with salt and pepper and fry for 5 minutes (Image 2).
3. Next, add the garlic and chilli flakes into the pan to fry for one minute (Image 3).
4. Then add the the frozen peas and continue to fry for a few minutes (Image 4).
5. At this point, add your Ditali to salted boiling water, timer set to 2 minutes minus the packet time (Image 5).
6. Add the mint to the peas and fried onion and mix together (Image 6).
7. When your timer goes off, transfer around 300ml of pasta water into the pan with the peas. Stir the parmesan into the mix and continuously stir (Image 7).
8. Add the pasta. Stir the Ditali into the cheesy, pea sauce until everything is incorporated. Season with salt and pepper if necessary and enjoy! (Image 8).
For more pasta recipe inspiration try : One-Pot Creamy Tomato Tortellini Pasta Soup, Mushroom Rigatoni Ragu and Creamy Gochujang Pasta
Adaptations
Gluten-Free
Crafting a pasta with peas dish that’s gluten-free is an easy feat. You can swap the pasta noodles for a gluten-free alternative, like brown rice pasta. Typically, gluten-free pasta will denote that they do not have gluten on the package’s exterior.
If you have a gluten intolerance, you may want to check the parmesan cheese ingredients and the ingredients of the seasonings. While these typically do not contain gluten, it’s sometimes added during manufacturing.
Here are some more gluten free recipes for you to try; Garlic Butter Chicken, Prawn Rice (Simple & One Pot) and Loaded Vegetable Paella
Tips and Tricks for best results
- You can use different types of pasta, spaghetti, linguine or orzo and cook until al dente then add the parmesan to make the cheesy sauce.
- Don’t forget to save some pasta water, as this will help make the creamy parmesan sauce.
- Add some crispy bacon or pancetta as topping.
For pasta lovers here’s 2 of my favourite pasta recipes: The BEST Creamy Chorizo Pasta and Halloumi Pasta
FAQs
This pasta e piselli recipe will store well in the fridge. Ensure you place the leftovers in an airtight container before putting them into the fridge. Once packed, you can keep this dish in the fridge for up to five days. Alternatively, if you want to create lunches or meals for the week, you can portion out servings in separate airtight containers for easy reheating.
Yes, you can easily reheat piselli pasta! Either the stovetop or microwave will be sufficient for reheating this dish. Serve however much you wish to reheat in a bowl (microwave-safe) or a pot, and heat through. As a note, you may need to add some additional water to the bowl or pan, as the pasta can dry out after a few days in the fridge.
Yes you can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. Defrost and add a tbsp of water to the pasta when reheating.
While this pasta peas dish is already one of the most delicious pasta recipes, you can always alter it to your taste preference. For example, if you have leftover roasted chicken or turkey, it will make an excellent addition to the dish. Slice or shred the chicken or turkey, and toss it in with the pasta as the last step. Including poultry will help boost the protein in the dish.
Alternatively, you can also add various veggies for added nutrients to your pasta with peas. Thinly sliced bell peppers, spinach, cooked courgette, and fresh cherry tomatoes are all excellent options for a nutrient-rich dish.
Need some more recipe inspiration, try these tasty recipes : Healthy Crustless Pizza Bowl, Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta and KFC Popcorn Chicken Recipe
If you tried this Pasta with Peas recipe, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Pasta with Peas (Pasta e Piselli)
Ingredients
- 1 onion finely diced (£0.15)
- 3 large garlic cloves minced (£0.39)
- 350 g frozen garden peas £1.25)
- Bunch of fresh mint stems removed, finely chopped (£0.55)
- 500 g Ditali £0.85
- 100 g parmesan finely grated (£1.80)
Cupboard Essentials
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Optional chilli flakes
Method
- Start by adding the diced onion and extra-virgin olive oil into a large stainless steel saucepan/ or non-stick frying pan on a medium/low heat. Season with salt and pepper and fry for 5 minutes.
- Next, add the garlic and chilli flakes into the pan to fry for one minute before adding the frozen peas and fresh mint.
- At this point, add your ditalini to salted boiling water, timer set to 2 minutes minus the packet time.
- Continue to fry the peas. When your timer goes off, transfer around 300ml of pasta water into the pan with the peas. Stir the parmesan into the mix and continuously stir. Add the pasta.
- Stir the Ditali into the cheesy, pea sauce until everything is incorporated. Season with salt and pepper if necessary and enjoy!
Notes
- Use different types of pasta and cook until al dente.
- Save some pasta water to make a creamy parmesan sauce.
- Add crispy bacon or pancetta as a topping.
Nutrition
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