Clean recipe · thenaturalnurturer.com
15-Minute Creamy Pasta with Peas
This Pasta with Peas is so easy to make in just 15 minutes and is the perfect weeknight dinner! Full of protein from Greek yogurt and peas, this simple pasta dish has a delicious creamy sauce, a touch of brightness from lemon, and is super flavorful from shallots, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. This is truly a perfect vegetarian dinner recipe!
Original recipe: thenaturalnurturer.com
- Yield:
- 6 servings
- Prep:
- 10 min
- Cook:
- 15 min
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Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (I like to use medium or small shaped pasta)
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter (or addition olive oil)
- ¾ cup finely chopped shallot or onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 cups frozen peas (divided)
- 1 cup vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream. I suggest full fat for best results.)
- ¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- ¼ cup snipped chives (or other fresh herbs such as mint, basil, or parsley, chopped)
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. Save 1 cup of cooking water before draining.
- In a large sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallot/onions and sauté until lightly golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and sauté for another minute to soften.
- Add in 3 cups of peas and the vegetable broth. Allow the peas to simmer gently until the liquid in the pan has reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and pepper. Using a potato masher or large fork, smash the peas in the pan to release some of their starch (which will help form the creamy sauce). Once the peas are fully mashed, stir in the remaining cup of whole peas.
- Once the peas are heated through, remove from heat and stir in the yogurt and Parmesan cheese.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pea sauce and stir to coat. Stir in about ½ cup of the reserved pasta water to make the sauce even more creamy. If the sauce still seems dry and isn’t coating the pasta, add more of the pasta water as needed. Taste the pasta and add more seasoning as needed.
- To serve, sprinkle the pasta with the chives and additional grated Parmesan. The pasta is also great garnished with a drizzle of olive oil, more lemon zest, and cracked black pepper.