Pea-Threaded Pasta
Since I’m normally coming up with new and (hopefully!) inventive recipes, there are definitely times in my kitchen when things don’t turn out quite as I expected.
And then there are the times that I put a pea on uncooked pasta, throw it in boiling water, and instead of having it all fall apart, the pea and pasta fuse together for one insanely cute dish.
It's my pea-threaded pasta, and it's going to make everyone want to eat their peas!
Pea-Threaded Pasta
Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen peas
- ½ pound spaghetti
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, coarsely chopped
- 4 small shallots, finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces parmesan cheese
- Parsley leaves, for a garnish
- Fresh mint leaves, for a garnish
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Allow the frozen peas to sit until they are thawed enough to be pierced with the spaghetti, but not completely thawed—about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Thread 3 to 5 peas onto each strand of raw spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions, then strain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.
- While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it is crispy—7 to 10 minutes. Remove it from pan and set it aside, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Then add the shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook until the veggies are tender—about 5 minutes.
- Turn heat to low, then add the cream and parmesan, stirring until the parmesan is melted.
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the pan with the parmesan sauce, ladling in ¼ to ½ cup of pasta water until you reach a sauce-like consistency. Then add the bacon back to the pan and stir until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Serve topped with the parsley and mint.
