Boil

Cascatelli Primavera

by:
June  1, 2021
3.5
6 Ratings
Cascatelli Primavera
Photo by Rocky Luten. Prop Stylist: Alya Hameedi. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi.
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This is my mom Linda's recipe, which she adapted from Melissa Clark's Pasta Primavera with Asparagus and Peas on New York Times Cooking, to make it work perfectly with cascatelli.

My mom says, "You can use the Melissa Clark recipe as the basis, using veggie/herb combination of your choice. I used frozen peas and added lots of fresh mint and parsley. The big difference is her recipe is for long pasta, preferably fresh. Because cascatelli is sturdier, it can stand up to more sauce, hence the addition of pasta water in the final assembly. Each forkful grabs asparagus, peas and fresh herbs, making each bite more delicious!"

Hear the story of my three-year quest to invent this new pasta shape in The Sporkful podcast series "Mission: ImPASTAble," and get cascatelli from Sfoglini.

Hear about the process of developing this pasta shape—and podcast series—from Dan himself on our podcast The Genius Recipe Tapes. —Dan Pashman

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 pound asparagus, ends snapped
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 pound frozen peas
  • A handful of pea shoots
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced spring onion, white part only (or use shallot)
  • 2 green garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
  • Black pepper, more as needed
  • 12 ounces Cascatelli
  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup crème fraîche or whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
Directions
  1. Bring a large pot of 3 quarts of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.
  2. While the water is coming to a boil, slice asparagus stems into 1/4-inch-thick pieces; leave asparagus tips whole.
  3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, peas, and onion. Cook until vegetables are barely tender (but not too soft or mushy), 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in green garlic and pea shoots and cook 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
  4. Drop pasta into boiling water and cook until al dente (12 minutes). Reserve 1/2-3/4 C of pasta water. Drain the pasta and transfer it back to the large skillet. Immediately toss pasta with ½ cup pasta water, lemon juice, and vegetables. Simmer for one minute.
  5. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, crème fraîche, and herbs. Season generously with salt, pepper, and lemon zest to taste, and top with more pea shoots.
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1 Review

noreenTM
noreenTM July 16, 2021
This recipe tasted great, but makes way too much to cook in a skillet. I suggest cutting in half (you’ll still have plenty for a group of 4!). Between 1lb of asparagus and 1lb of peas, my 12-inch skillet was already too full to accommodate the cooked pasta. Had to transfer to my stock pot, which meant the cheese didn’t quite emulsify and the ridges broke off the noodles as I stirred.