Todd took himself off into town yesterday to do a bit of business, so I told him to just treat himself to something in town if he wanted to for lunch and I proceeded to make myself some pasta. He doesn't like pasta as you know, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to indulge myself! I adore pasta and would eat it every day if I could. Its not so good for me however, so it remains a once in a blue moon treat and whenever possible I do try to use whole wheat pasta if I can. This recipe I am showing you today is fabulously tasty, quick and easy!
I love recipes that fall into that category and when they also use very few ingredients, so much the better! This recipe only calls for frozen peas, chopped onion, pasta, water and some cheese.
And it is fabulously delicious. You wouldn't think that you could make something so tasty out of just these few things, but like magic, you can!
I have a confession here, I reduced the recipe to feed only 2 so I could also enjoy some tomorrow, and it worked brilliantly. You begin by softening an onion in a bit of oil. You don't want to brown it, just soften it.
Once the onion is softened you add a quantity of boiling water some seasoning and the raw pasta. So yes, it all cooks in the one pan. The cook time will vary according to the type of pasta you use. I used ditalini which is short squat tubes, but maccheroni would also work well. Any tubular pasta would.
Cook it for half the cook time of the pasta as stated on the packet directions. Then add your frozen peas. You could add the peas earlier, but I didn't want them over done, so I choose to add them in the middle of cooking. If you add them slowly its not a problem. I hate over-cooked peas. Its a quirk of mine.
Once the pasta is cooked al dente and the peas are done, the dish is pretty much done. All you have to do now is to stir in some cheese. No need to drain the pasta. You won't have used much water to begin with. Once you stir the cheese in, this makes a luscious sauce that you are going to love.
It so simple . . . pasta cooking water and cheese. YUM!
Taste and adjust the seasoning as you wish. The cheese is salty so you probably won't need any of that, but I like a lot of pepper, so I added more of that.
Pour it into heated pasta bowls and top with some more grated cheese and some hot chili flakes and dinner is served! Voila!!
And it was so easy. You could add some chopped cooked ham, or even bacon if you really wanted some meat. Both of those would go very well.
A bit of crusty bread for those who can indulge and everyone is happy! Well, I was anyways. Todd actually had the other half when he came home and he quite enjoyed it also. (I think he is telling porky pies when he says he doesn't like pasta. Methinks he does a tiny bit!)
Yield: 6Author: Marie Rayner
Pasta E Piselli
prep time: 5 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 25 minsSimple ingredients put together in a fabulous way! Quick, easy and delicious!ingredients:
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped2 TBS olive oil1 (545g) bag of frozen petit pois (13 ounce bag)1/2 tsp fine sea salt1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper1 liter of boiling water (4 1/2 cups)450g ditalini or other small tubular pasta shape (1 pound)60g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1/3 cup)60g freshly grated Romano cheese (1/3 cup)red pepper flakes and additional cheese for servinginstructions:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onionsand cook, stirring frequently until softened without browning. Increase
the heat to high and add the water and seasonings. Add the pasta and
stir, cook for half the pasta cook time according to the package. Add
the frozen peas a little at a time and cook for the remaining cook time
according to pasta package directions, stirring frequently. The pasta
should be al dente and the peas cooked when done. Do not drain. Stir in
both cheeses Check and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve ladled into
heated bowls and garnish with additional cheese and pepper flakes if
desired.Created using The Recipes Generator
I adapted this recipe from one I found on Cooking with Mama C. I hope you will try it. If you like pasta and simplicity and peas you are sure to enjoy! Quick, easy, delicious and all in one dish. You can't lose! Buon Appetito!
