Pasta with peas is a brothy Italian pasta dish of fresh peas, thin strips of ham and wide pappardelle, ready in about 35 minutes. It serves 4 and works for a weeknight dinner that needs only one pot.
Why This Recipe Works
The pasta cooks right in the chicken stock, not in a separate pot of water. The starch from the noodles thickens the liquid a little, so you get a light, silky sauce instead of a watery broth.
Softening the onion in olive oil before anything else goes in builds a sweet base. Add the ham strips next, so they warm through and flavor the oil, then the peas and stock join them.
Fresh basil goes in with the pasta, so its flavor spreads through the pot as the noodles finish cooking. Taste before you salt, because the ham and the stock are already salty.
Pasta with Peas Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 2 ounces cooked ham, cut into very thin strips
- 11 ounces shelled fresh garden peas (or fava beans)
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 7 ounces dried lasagna or pappardelle, broken into pieces
- 6 basil leaves, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Pasta with Peas
Cook the peas
- Soften the onion: Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and fry it until soft, so it turns sweet and loses its raw bite.
- Add ham and peas: Stir in the ham strips, the peas and the chicken stock. Cook for 10 minutes, until the peas are soft when you press one against the side of the pot.
Add the pasta
- Cook the pasta: Add the broken pasta and the chopped basil to the pot. The noodles cook in the stock, so stir now and then to keep them from sticking together.
- Season and finish: Taste the broth, then add salt and pepper as needed. Cook for another 10 minutes, until the pasta is soft, and serve hot.
Recipe Tips
- Break the pasta small: Pieces about 2 inches long fit on a spoon and cook evenly in the pot. Long ribbons tangle and stick.
- Skip canned peas: Canned peas turn mushy and dull in color. Use fresh peas, or frozen ones if fresh are not in season.
- Taste before salting: The ham and the chicken stock already carry salt. Add more only at the end, once the broth has reduced a little.
- Stir often: Starch from the pasta collects on the bottom of the pot. A stir every few minutes keeps it from scorching.
What To Serve With Pasta with Peas
Ladle it into wide shallow bowls while it is hot, with a little extra olive oil on top. A green salad with lemon dressing and a piece of crusty bread go well with it.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The pasta keeps soaking up the broth, so the dish turns thicker overnight.
- Reheat: Warm it in a pot over low heat with a splash of stock or water to loosen it. Heat until it is hot all the way through.
- Freezer: Pasta goes soft when frozen and thawed, so this dish is best eaten fresh.
FAQs
Can I use frozen peas instead of fresh?
Yes. Frozen peas work well when fresh ones are not in season. Add them straight from the freezer with the stock, and they may soften a little faster than fresh ones. Avoid canned peas, which turn mushy.
Can I make pasta with peas without the ham?
You can leave the ham out for a meatless version, but the dish will taste less savory. Keep the chicken stock or switch to vegetable stock, and add a pinch more salt. It is not vegetarian as written, because of the ham and the chicken stock.
What pasta works best?
Wide, flat pasta such as dried lasagna sheets or pappardelle, broken into pieces. The wide shape holds the peas and the broth well. Short pasta like small shells also works if you have no flat noodles.
Why is my pasta with peas too thick?
The pasta keeps absorbing broth as it sits. Stir in a splash of hot chicken stock or water until it loosens, and serve right away. Eating it soon after cooking keeps the texture best.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 390 kcal
- Total Fat: 13g
- Total Carbohydrate: 51g
- Dietary Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 17g
Pasta with Peas
4
servings15
minutes23
minutes38
minutesA one-pot Italian pasta with fresh peas, thin strips of ham and wide pappardelle cooked in chicken stock. It serves 4 and comes together in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 ounces cooked ham, cut into very thin strips
11 ounces shelled fresh garden peas (or fava beans)
5 cups chicken stock
7 ounces dried lasagna or pappardelle, broken into pieces
6 basil leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Soften the onion: Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and fry it until soft, so it turns sweet and loses its raw bite.
- Add ham and peas: Stir in the ham strips, the peas and the chicken stock. Cook for 10 minutes, until the peas are soft when you press one against the side of the pot.
- Cook the pasta: Add the broken pasta and the chopped basil to the pot. The noodles cook in the stock, so stir now and then to keep them from sticking together.
- Season and finish: Taste the broth, then add salt and pepper as needed. Cook for another 10 minutes, until the pasta is soft, and serve hot.
