Pea
Macaroni Peas
Popular on Food52
46 Reviews
Susanna
March 28, 2017
I am going to try this with ramps as a garnish, just as soon as I can get my hands on some this spring...
cucina D.
December 5, 2016
This recipe is pure genius! We love sautéed peas in olive oil and onion, now my famiglia has a gorgeous new way to eat our delicious peas. Bravo e grazie tante😊
Fiona
July 12, 2016
Tried this last night and really delicious. Doubled the garlic and added an extra handful or so of cheese, really tasty, straight-forward dinner. Definitely one I'll be making again!
Rebecca C.
June 19, 2015
Agreed. this is one of those surprise dishes - the type that sound good, anyway, but, taste even better. Of course, sprinklings of browned proscuitto and sautéed scallion scapes (yes, scallion not garlic) kicked it up a notch for us.
mawhorts
June 10, 2015
I've made and enjoyed this several times now - it has become a regular pantry meal for me also. I've found that the sauce freezes fairly well, so I usually make a double batch and freeze half, then defrost and add the fresh herbs. This time I added lemon zest and a little lemon juice in addition to the recommended basil, which gave it exactly the zing I was looking for.
Transcendancing
March 28, 2015
This was gorgeous, I also doubled the garlic and it was just fantastic. I'm tempted to try it putting mint in the water to make minted peas. Simple, vegetarian deliciousness that is pretty much a 'pantry' meal (where peas in the freezer are a pantry equivalent). Love it.
Karen B.
February 21, 2015
My husband will eat peas with anything. I am not a big fan of peas. We both liked this dish. I increased the garlic to 2 cloves, used 1/3 cup Parmesan-Reggiano and added some browned pancetta.
Shortnsweet
February 21, 2015
Yummy overall, but for me this was missing another dimension of flavor, something to offset the sweetness of the peas. I tossed in some prosciutto which added a nice smokiness, maybe next time I'll add more (I used only about 2 oz).
roryrabbitfield
June 11, 2014
I made this dish last week and it was terrific. Next time I'll probably reduce the butter because I don't think it added a lot to the dish; I think leaving it out would not make a difference. My kids wouldn't eat it the first time around but they were intrigued and they said they would try it next time around. If so, this will be in our regular rotation.
Ken W.
May 14, 2014
Alex, where is it that I said, "some commentators must have used not so good quality ingredients, like peas that have been frozen too long"? And it what way is this a "classic dish?' The notion is ludicrous. As for the nutrional aspect, good savvy cooks know when the butter can be replaced with good olive oil and take an easy hand with the cheese. I am sorry that you took my comments on such as personal level. I do agree to disagree with you -on many levels.
Ken W.
May 13, 2014
I agree Laura, this is a good dish but not a great dish. I think some commentators were being a little over-enthusiastic by saying it's "restaurant quality." The fact is that it was never intended to be served in a restaurant. It's a SIMPLE nutritious dish that can be prepared in a short time. Also, if you look at the comment thread lots of people added ingredients that were not called for (cooks cannot just leave things alone!) As to what happened after you let it sit for an hour I can only wonder. Did you let it sit warm after saucing? I think that's the most likely thing. Try making the sauce first and cooking your pasta just before serving (that's what I did.)
Alex M.
May 13, 2014
Some of the most successful restaurants (at least in Chicago) serve simple recipes with the highest quality ingredients, which can be achieved with this classic dish. "Some commentators" must have used not so good quality ingredients, like peas that might have been frozen too long. Also, the dish is actually not that nutritious given that it's main ingredients include butter cheese and white pasta. Agree to disagree about the recipe, but your attempt to not single out other users was poor.
Laura A.
May 13, 2014
I am really surprised people thought this was so good, even going so far as to say it was restaurant quality. I followed recipe to a T. When I test tasted it, it was good, but not outstanding. However, I was not able to immediately serve so it sat for an hour, during which time it completely disintegrated into a green, dry mush. It was so bad I considered pureeing it to make baby food.
Alex M.
May 2, 2014
This is so simple and absolutely delicious...not to mention it looks (and tasted) like a restaurant quality dish when nicely plated. HUGE hit with friends and family. Also, I used the pea "puree" form this recipe (with less water) on a pizza topped with ramps and this was also superb (again, huge hit with guests!)
caseymsy
April 11, 2014
I couldn't find orrichiette pasta so used medium shells , still came out the same
caseymsy
April 11, 2014
Made this the other night. Delish!!!!!! Had some over so next day fried it up and added extra cheese and eggs. This is good for a quick meal
Jamie P.
April 7, 2014
Made this and loved it. I think for summer it might be interesting to add some mint and maybe a fresh dollop of ricotta on top.
dwayla
April 2, 2014
Wow! Followed recipe as closely as my pantry allowed--easy and delicious! Thirteen-month old approved, too. Start to finish in the amount of time it took to cook the pasta.
Jen
March 31, 2014
Any tips on how to keep orecchiette separated? I love it, but no matter what I do, I have trouble keeping the little suckers from sticking to each other.
Nicole S.
May 13, 2014
You can also drizzle a bit of olive oil into the boiling water right before you add the pasta in and this will keep them separated. Adding a bit of oil to them after you drain them also helps.
AnneHD
March 22, 2014
The three of us, including the 22 mo toddlerette, love this recipe. To make it even simpler, we sauté all the peas in the butter, then use half of them to make the sauce (using pasta water) with an immersion blender. We add crumbled bacon, but (unlike my husband) I don't think this is essential to enjoying this dish.
Karishma D.
January 24, 2014
I didn't have any parmesan on me, so I used jalapeño cheddar and ricotta cheese instead. To add some heat, I cooked the garlic with a lot of hot chili flakes to get some heat. It came out delicious! I'll definitely be making it again.
Mariah G.
July 25, 2013
This turned out exceptionally well. It was even good the next day for lunch (though warmed not cold). I did use the full box (16oz) of pasta (still had plenty of sauce) and used the stick blender to puree. We added grilled bacon, the smoky flavor went great. Thanks for the recipe...a nice twist for pasta.
maeveoh
July 9, 2013
Seeming to notice that all of my favorite pasta recipes invariably include, garlic, parmesan, olive oil or butter, and a Star Vegetable.
This looks so delicious!
This looks so delicious!
insane P.
June 26, 2013
Awesome recipe - the simple recipes are always the best! I've made it a few times now and my kids love it. I've been adding spinach to the puree little by little to broaden their palette and the sweetness of the peas is always enough to win them over. The sauce itself can be thinned out with chicken stock and/or milk to make a pea/spinach soup. This is an exceptionally versatile dish. So glad you submitted it.
Dima H.
June 24, 2013
It looks like a simple recipe and people might tend to add to it but in my sometimes the best recipes are the simplest! i will resist the urge to add to it and follow the recipe and see how it turns out!
pvanhagenlcsw
June 20, 2013
I am making this for the second time tonight and has become a summer favorite. The peas from the coast (west) are at their best and this recipe certainly hihglights their flavor. Once again a few simple ingredients for a grand meal. Thanks for sharing it.
Odegaard
June 3, 2013
Baked prosciutto (375 degrees for 10-12 min.) crumbled & thrown on top takes this dish to a new level. Simple & delicious!
Ken W.
June 1, 2013
Mary, if you want something that is easy to prepare , healthy, and delicious then ,yes this is a good recipe. (And Emily made a good suggestion on how to make it even faster!) You won't know if it's a good recipe until you try it. And, here is my suggestion-don't change anything until you have made it at least once , then feel free to embellish. (I made this twice in the past two weeks. The second time I added some cherry tomatoes :)
David M.
June 16, 2013
Ken, I could not agree more. I tire of people trying a recipe, but making many alterations to it, and then pronouncing it bad.
Chef K.
June 19, 2013
Thanks David. It's funny to read how many people change the recipe before even trying the original recipe. It's a problem I have with my students who want to put their "stamp" on the dish and in some cases, disastrous !
EmilyC
May 29, 2013
Made this for dinner tonight -- so easy and good. My only minor criticism is that it requires three pans and a blender -- can you tell I hate doing dishes?! Next time I'll add the peas to the pasta water during the last few minutes of cooking time, then just use the cooking water to thin the pea puree. A stick blender is a boon here. Thanks for sharing!
Dianecpa
May 27, 2013
LOL we make pea pesto.....fresh raw garden peas with garlic olive salt and pepper and fresh basil....puree until chunky, toss with pasta and serve with parmesan. My daughter doesn't like cheese so I serve it separately.
linda.quick.94
May 26, 2013
My mother used to make a dish called peas and macaroni. Basically the same ingredients but she used the pasta water and poured the oil and garlic over that. I still remember the sizzling noise it made. Boy was it good on a cold winter's night. Don't forget the Italian bread!
KSerra
May 24, 2013
Wow. I was shocked by how easy this was for how good it tasted - and I don't even have any kids! I added bacon and used bacon grease to cook the the garlic, and blended the peas with an immersion blender.
See what other Food52ers are saying.