Creamy Green Pea Pasta (No Cream & With Frozen Peas!)

Name: Creamy Green Pea Pasta (No Cream & With Frozen Peas!)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 serving
Ingredients: 10 ounces frozen peas; 10 ounces pasta; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 small clove garlic; 3.5 ounces feta cheese; ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese; ½ cup fresh basil; ¼ cup fresh mint; ½ lemon; ¾ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon pepper

User Reviews

5.0

6 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
15 mins
Servings
4
Calories
481 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian

Creamy Green Pea Pasta (No Cream & With Frozen Peas!)

Emmett Bennett

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A super quick, easy and nutritious creamy green pea pasta with a vibrant and velvety sauce. Yep, it's comforting and creamy, but without any actual cream! It's the combo of feta and parmesan cheeses that provides the creamy richness here. Enjoy this pea pasta by itself for an effortless and budget-friendly midweek meal made from just frozen peas and a handful of other fridge and pantry ingredients. Alternatively, make it even more substantial by serving with meat or fish on the side.

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Ingredients

Servings

10 ounces frozen peas around 2 cups (baby peas are sweetest)
10 ounces pasta I like fusilli (spirals) or similar, but any pasta works.
2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for drizzling over to serve (optional)
1 small clove garlic
3.5 ounces feta cheese crumbled (about ¾ cup)
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese (grated) plus a little extra to serve
½ cup fresh basil plus a little extra to serve
¼ cup fresh mint plus a little extra to serve
½ lemon juice only
¾ teaspoon salt or more to taste
½ teaspoon pepper or more to taste

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Instructions

In a large pan, bring water to a boil. Add frozen peas and cook for about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out around a third of the peas and set them aside in a bowl. Place the remaining two-thirds of peas into a medium-sized bowl.
Use the same boiling water to cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Aim for 'al dente,' which is just cooked but still firm. This typically takes around 10 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil, garlic clove, crumbled feta, grated parmesan, fresh basil and mint, lemon juice and salt and pepper to the bowl with the two-thirds of peas.
Blend the sauce ingredients using a hand-held blender until a smooth sauce forms. If you don't have a hand-held blender, you can use a food processor or simply mash the ingredients well with a potato masher (a masher will result in a chunkier sauce).
Once the pasta is cooked, scoop out around a cup of the cooking water. Then drain the pasta and pour it back into the cooking pan. Pour the blended pea sauce over the pasta and combine really well.
Gradually stir in the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen the dish so that the sauce is nice and smooth but still clings to each piece of pasta. You may not need to add all of the reserved water to achieve this.
Stir the reserved cooked peas into the pasta and sauce.
Serve out the pasta into dishes and scatter over extra fresh herbs, crumbled feta and grated parmesan. Drizzle a little more extra virgin olive oil over and serve immediately with extra lemon wedges on the side if desired.

Equipments used:

Notes

Don't forget to save some of the cooking water before draining the pasta! This is the key to a perfectly smooth and silky dish.
Variations: Feel free to add some cooked bacon, pancetta, chorizo, prosciutto, smoked salmon or shrimp to the dish if you like.
Replace some of the frozen peas with frozen broccoli and/or spinach.
Replace the feta cheese with ricotta, goat cheese, or mascarpone cheese.
Serving suggestions: Creamy green pea pasta is delicious enjoyed as a quick and easy midweek meal, but also works well as a side dish. Serve with simple baked chicken thighs, crispy panko chicken, sausages, rotisserie chicken (air-fried), salmon or another type of simple fish.
Making ahead and storing: This dish is best eaten immediately. However, you can reheat it the next day. Simply reheat gently either in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or in a saucepan with a good extra splash of water to loosen the dish up again.
Bear in mind that the pasta will soak up some of the sauce when it's reheated, but it will still taste good. You can even enjoy it cold pasta salad style. Leftovers are great in lunch boxes!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing: I wouldn't freeze this once the pasta and sauce has been combined (the texture doesn't hold up too well). However, you can freeze the sauce separately for up to 2 months.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 481kcal (24%) Carbohydrates 66g (22%) Protein 19g (38%) Fat 15g (23%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 7g Cholesterol 26mg (9%) Sodium 828mg (35%) Potassium 402mg (11%) Fiber 7g (28%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 978IU (20%) Vitamin C 37mg (41%) Calcium 247mg (25%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 481 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	481kcal	24%
Carbohydrates	66g	22%
Protein	19g	38%
Fat	15g	23%
Saturated Fat	6g	30%
Polyunsaturated Fat	1g	6%
Monounsaturated Fat	7g	35%
Cholesterol	26mg	9%
Sodium	828mg	35%
Potassium	402mg	9%
Fiber	7g	28%
Sugar	6g	12%
Vitamin A	978IU	20%
Vitamin C	37mg	41%
Calcium	247mg	25%
Iron	3mg	17%