Pasta e Piselli (Pasta and Peas)
Pasta e piselli (pasta with peas) is a simple yet super tasty spring dish of Neapolitan inspiration. Made with short pasta and fresh or frozen peas, this pasta e piselli recipe is a flavourful dish that’s like a cross between a pasta dish and a soup.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
- 1 largeshallot, finely chopped
- 500 gfresh or frozen peas
- 320 gditalini or another type of small pasta
- 50 gfreshly grated parmesan, plus extra for serving
- handful fresh basil, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan or Dutch oven and sauté the shallot for 3-4. minutes until softened.
- 2
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it generously, and cook the pasta for half of the time indicated on the package. Before draining, reserve at least 1 litre (4 cups) of pasta water.
- 3
Add the peas over the onions together with 1 cup of pasta water and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- 4
Transfer the pasta to the pan and gradually add some extra pasta water until the pasta is cooked al dente. This should take about 5 minutes, and you should stilll have some liquid when the pasta is al dente.
- 5
Turn off the heat and stir in the grated parmesan and basil if using. Season to taste with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and serve with extra grated parmesan on top.