This couldn’t be simpler. Spring Pasta with Peas is a quick weekday dinner featuring fresh peas, mint, and spring onions. It is perfect for pairing with a side salad and roasted asparagus with lemon.
The Color of Spring is Green
Do you ever notice the shade of green that only comes in the spring? I believe it is a hint from above that our bodies need the cleansing color green because we need a flood of antioxidant foods after a long, dark winter filled with heavy, rich, and cozy foods. God gives us exactly what we need within the seasons at the times we need them. Thus, the color green—new life.
Pasta with Peas: Dinner on the Table in Less Than 30-Minutes
The ingredient list is small and straightforward. Pasta with peas only has a few ingredients: onions, garlic, lemon zest or preserved lemon, parmesan cheese, mint, basil, pasta, and, of course, peas. Whenever I am at Trader Joe’s, I almost always pick up a bag of fresh peas, knowing what we will have for dinner that night. Pasta with peas is an excellent dinner on shopping days because it whips up so quickly. This is a good recipe to teach your older children, so they have recipes in their arsenal when you are busy and need to call on them to throw a healthy and yummy dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Pasta with Peas
Ingredients
- 1 pound small pasta shape, like Gigli or Orecchiette
- 2 T butter (sometimes I use reserved bacon fat from breakfast to give it a smoky flavor instead of butter)
- 3 T olive oil
- 1 medium spring onion, diced (or regular yellow onion)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 cups frozen peas or one package fresh peas
- Zest of 1 organic lemon or 1/4 preserved lemon, minced
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (reserve some to sprinkle on the finished pasta)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup reserved pasta water (sometimes I halve this and add 1/2 cup chicken bone broth for added minerals and flavor)
- 1 generous handful each of fresh basil and fresh mint, chiffonade
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil, add 1 Tablespoon salt, and add the peas. Blanch for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peas and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Divide the peas into two separate bowls and set aside.
- Add the pasta to the same pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions.
- In a skillet, melt butter or bacon fat and olive oil. Add onion and saute until translucent and fragrant (about 7 minutes). Add garlic and stir for another minute.
- While the pasta is cooking, take one of the pea bowls and mash the peas with a fork. Add the peas to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest or preserved lemon, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- When the pasta is al dente, strain it, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water liquid. Add that to the skillet with the pasta, stirring it, and remove it from the heat.
- Fold in the remaining peas and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, fresh mint, and basil chiffonade.
ADDING MY FAVORITE CONDIMENT…PRESERVED LEMON
If you haven’t tried my Preserved Lemons, now is the time to check out my post. Well, actually, if you wanted it now, for this recipe, it is a little too late since it has to ferment for 3-4 weeks on your counter. Trust me. You will use Preserved Lemons in everything all year round. Traditionally, preserved lemons are used in Moroccan cooking in tagine recipes, pilafs, stews, roast chicken, dressings, and sauces. It adds a depth of flavor to almost anything where you would use lemon zest. I notice the difference when they are absent from a recipe such as Spaghetti & Meatballs, Italian Meatloaf, Summer Panzanella Salad, Salmon Burgers with Cucumber Mustard Sauce, or No Knead Lemon, Garlic, & Rosemary Bread. They just make everything taste…yummier!
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In everything you do -eat, play, and love- may it always be Seasoned with Joy!
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