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Pasta and Peas

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

My boy is a big pea fan, so I wanted to concoct a pasta and peas dish for him. I played around with a cream and pesto sauce, before arriving simply on olive oil and herbs. This is simple and sweet and distinct. The taste and texture of the peas are brought to the forefront and are complemented by the fresh herbs.

Pasta and Peas

Pasta & Peas
1/4 cup olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cups chopped basil, divided
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 cups frozen peas
1 lb ditalini or other small pasta shells

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the frozen peas and pasta and boil until the pasta is al dente. Drain in a colander and set aside. This sauce comes together fast, so don't start until the pasta is in the water.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until soft, a couple of minutes. Add the garlic, salt & pepper, half the basil and the parsley. Saute for a couple minutes, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn't burn. Add the pasta and peas and toss to combine. Stir in the remaining basil and the lemon juice. Season to taste with additional salt (if necessary) and plenty of cracked black pepper.

4 Servings: 607 cal (16g fat, 97g carbs, 19g protein)

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6 comments

  1. Tami Says:
  2. Such a spring looking dish!

     
  3. Anonymous Says:
  4. I love the choice of the ditalini pasta! Looks GREAT mixed in with the peas! :)

     
  5. Sarah Says:
  6. I made this yesterday, it was great! I upped the seasonings, since I didnt have any fresh basil and had to resort to dry. It seems what they have for fresh herbs at the store here, is always wilted and nasty. Can't wait to start planting though!

     
  7. I hear you about the herbs. My thyme and oregano survived the winter, but my basil barely survives summer. There's just no sun here. Still, I can't wait for some good garden weather.

     
  8. I LOVE Peas. One of my favourite veg of all time!
    I bet this is good cold too isn't it? - I would make this for a salad side dish!
    Thanks for the recipe, though I don't think I would use quite so much oil - it's rather a lot isn't it.

     
  9. It really does need the oil. Any less and the pasta will be too dry. A traditional herb sauce like this will have a lot more oil, so 1/4 cup is already cut down.

    I tried making this with broth & wine, or soy milk and the pasta just absorbed the sauce and I didn't want it saucy anyway. In the end, I stuck with oil.

     

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