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Pasta With Peas Recipe – Healthy Meal Plan

No food in the fridge tonight? No problem! Here’s a quick and easy recipe that you can make from basic ingredients you already have on hand. (And if you don’t have them on hand, start stockpiling them for future empty fridge nights.)

First things first – go easy on yourself about the empty fridge. Pour a glass of wine, crack open a Guinness, or fix yourself a perfect gin martini.

Refreshed and ready? Let’s begin…

Pasta with peas is a rustic Italian dish that you can make in half an hour. I learned how to cook Italian food from my ex-wife’s Italian mother. It’s funny – she said this simple dish and a lot of ethnic cuisine in magazines like Bon Appetit is considered peasant food in Italy.

Single parent tip: cook more than you need and save the leftovers for your own lunch the next day, or for dinner on a night when the kids aren’t with you.

Recipe:

Start boiling water for pasta. Take 1/2 pound frozen peas and put them in a pasta strainer. Run water over the peas and break them up with your hands, removing all the ice. In a large frying pan, sauté 2-3 cloves chopped garlic in 4 tablespoons olive oil. If you’re a peas and onions fan, you can sauté half a white onion instead of garlic.

When the garlic is a nice golden color (don’t let it overcook and turn brown!), dump the peas into the frying pan. Stir to coat the peas. Add a generous amount of black pepper. Stir occasionally while the peas sauté.

Cooking tip: it tastes better when the peas are overcooked and a little black than undercooked.

When the water is boiling, dump in 8-10 oz. of pasta and some salt. Any small pasta will do: elbow macaroni, salad macaroni, bowties, or mezze penne are all good choices. How much pasta to cook depends on how many people are eating, and how hungry they are. I made this dish tonight and ate about 6 oz of pasta by myself. I usually cook 10-12 oz. when my two kids are here, and I usually have a bit leftover.

Cooking tip: an equal amount of peas and pasta is usually pretty good, i.e. 8 oz. of each. But it’s better to error on having too many peas. There’s nothing worse than a plateful of bland, sauceless pasta. If you need more pasta, cook more peas!

I always cook pasta al dente, no matter the dish. This means when you bite into it, it’s a little hard on the inside. I never time it, I simply bite into it, but go ahead and time yours the first few tries. With practice, your body’s cooking clock will tick on its own, and you’ll get a feel for when things should be done without the need for a timepiece. It’s all about being in the moment when you cook.

When the pasta is done, strain it to remove the water, then dump it into the frying pan with the peas. Stir it all together, and you’re done. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

I like to eat pasta and peas with some Pugliese or sourdough bread and my favorite cheese (which varies, depending on mood: Dubliner, Brie, or any soft cheese with herbs that my local cheese market swears is fantastic.)

One final parenting tip: let your kids voice their opinion about your cooking. Does the dish need more pepper? Should the pasta be less cooked? Are there enough peas? Do this over time to help them develop a sophisticated palette, and you’ll learn to be a better cook.

Boys food tip – if you have a young son, by all means encourage him to eat “every pasta and pea on his plate.” See if he doesn’t crack up.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Italian-style Carrots Recipe
• Grilled Asparagus Recipe
• Grilled Salmon
• Healthy Meal Plans – Lentil Pasta Recipe
  
• How to Cook Beets
• Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe – Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

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March 11th, 2008 Posted in food recipes | Tags: boys food, cooking, easy meal ideas, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, food, healthy cooking, healthy meal plans, healthy recipes, Italian food, Italian recipe, pasta, peas, recipe, single dad | 3 comments