Elbow Macaroni With Minty Green Pea Pasta Sauce
Small pasta cooks in the sauce to absorb lots of flavor. This calls for elbow macaroni, but small shells or ditalini also work well. Use what you can easily find.
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 saute pan
- 1 food processor (or blender)
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped, plus more for garnish
- 8 ounces elbow pasta (or other small pasta, such as small shells or ditalini)
- 2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, grated (½ cup, or Parmigiano-Reggiano)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Flaky sea salt, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Bring 4 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan.
- Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook 1 minute. Add the peas and cook 5 minutes (they’ll thaw as they cook). Season with salt and pepper.
- Scrape the peas and shallot into a food processor or blender (or scrape it into a jar or measuring cup and use an immersion blender). Add the mint and 1 cup of the simmering water. Blend until smooth.
- Return the sauté pan to medium-high heat. Scrape the pea mixture into the pan, along with 1 cup of the simmering water and the pasta. Cook 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently and ladling in more simmering water as needed to keep everything from drying out, or until the pasta is al dente.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in about half the cheese and the lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 bowls. Garnish with remaining cheese, a generous grinding of pepper, more mint, and, if desired, flaky sea salt.