Simple spaghetti with peas, garlic and Parmesan: just a few ingredients gets you the most luxurious pasta ever (and it's super simple).
With a mix of al dente spaghetti, spring peas, fresh garlic and loads of Parmesan "carbonara style", this will be your new favorite weeknight dish.
How to make pasta with peas
Ingredients Needed
- Spaghetti. Or another long pasta like bucatini or linguine.
- Olive oil. A good quality kind like California Olive Ranch works well!
- Garlic. Grab a few cloves, peel and mince them.
- Egg yolks. Save the whites to make an omelet the next morning!
- Spring peas. I use frozen peas to make it easy but if you have fresh peas, cook them up and toss them in.
- Parmesan. Grab a block and use a cheese grater or microplane.
- And you can never use too much.
- Lemon. I use the zest and save the lemon juice for another recipe, but if you want it extra lemony go ahead and add some juice!
Equipment Needed
- A cutting board and chef's knife.
- A Dutch oven or large pot for boiling the pasta and cooking the rest of it.
- Tongs for cooking and tossing the pasta.
- A colander for draining.
- Measuring cups and spoons or you can eyeball it.
- A wooden spoon for stirring.
- A liquid measuring cup for capturing some pasta water.
- A small bowl to crack the egg yolks in.
- A microplane to procure some lemon zest and grate fresh Parm.
- Bowls and forks for serving.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, until al dente.
- Drain the pasta, reserving 1 ¼ cups pasta water for later use.
- Coat the pasta with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set aside.
- Place ¼ cup olive oil in the large pot on medium-high heat.
- Add the peas and saute 2-3 minutes or until soft.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
- Add the pasta back in to the stock pot, then the pasta water and simmer until liquid is reduced by half.
- Remove from the heat and use tongs to toss in the beaten egg yolks until it starts to thicken.
- Stir in half of the Parmesan cheese.
- Season with salt, black pepper and lemon zest, to taste.
- Use tongs to transfer the pasta to serving bowls.
- Garnish with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Substitutions & Alterations
- Spaghetti: Any long pasta will do, such as bucatini or linguine.
- I like to choose a higher fiber and/or higher protein pasta to make this more of a substantial meal.
- You can also use a bean or lentil-based pasta or gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Peas: If you don't have any on hand, you could skip them or substitute with asparagus or broccoli.
- Parmesan: You can grate it yourself or grab a tub of fresh Parm that is shaved, shredded or grated.
- To make it gluten free: Use gluten free pasta.
- To make it dairy free: Use a dairy free Parmesan substitute.
- To make it vegan: You can skip the egg yolks and use a plant-based Parmesan substitute.
Pasta Cooking Tips
- Use a gallon of water per pound of pasta.
- Heavily salt the water (this keeps the pasta from sticking together).
- Skip adding oil to the water, as the pasta sauce you use or create will slide right off the pasta and not coat it.
- Make sure the water is at a rolling boil before adding the pasta.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce or olive oil immediately after draining so the strands don't stick together.
Storage and Reheating Suggestions
- Let slightly cool before transfering the pasta leftovers to airtight containers.
- Pasta will hold up in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
- Reheat individual servings in the microwave 60-90 seconds or until heated through.
- I wouldn't recommend freezing this pasta.
Other delicious pasta recipes:
- Lemon Asparagus Pasta
- Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake
- Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad
- Pasta Calabrese with Artichokes
Simple Spaghetti with Garlic, Peas and Parmesan
Just a few simple ingredients gets you a luxurious carbonara-like spaghetti dish with olive oil, garlic, spring peas, Parmesan and lemon.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stove-Top
- Cuisine: Italian, American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 12-ounce box whole grain spaghetti
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup frozen spring peas
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 large egg yolks, beaten
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh lemon zest
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.
- Drain pasta, reserving 1 ¼ cups pasta water for later use. Coat pasta with 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.
- Place ¼ cup olive oil in the large pot on medium-high heat. Add the peas and saute 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
- Add the pasta back in to the stock pot, then the pasta water and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from the heat and use tongs to toss in the beaten egg yolks until it starts to thicken.
- Stir in half of the Parmesan cheese.
- Season with salt, black pepper and lemon zest, to taste.
- Use tongs to transfer the pasta to serving bowls. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Pasta Cooking Tips:
- Use a gallon of water per pound of pasta
- Salt the water (this keeps the pasta from sticking together)
- Make sure the water is at a rolling boil before adding the pasta
- Toss the pasta in the sauce or olive oil immediately after draining
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ of recipe
- Calories: 405
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 245mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 13g
- Cholesterol: 101mg
Keywords: whole grain, healthy, easy, tasty, no meat, simple, family friendly, kid friendly
Sharon @ savormania says
Such gorgeous photography, the food really pops out, especially the peas! This looks absolutely delicious.
Julie Andrews says
Hi Sharon! Thank you for the kind words. Beautiful food is so much fun to photograph
Pam says
I LOVE pasta more than any other food so I try and limit it but I love the simplicity of this dish of yours. We just finished Dexter.....it was SO ADDICTIVE. I'm curious if you will like the ending. We've never binged a show before so then we wondered what to do with ourselves. lol....we started watching BBC's Sherlock....LOVE IT as well.
Julie Andrews says
Hi Pam,
I am also a huge pasta fan! I try and keep it a little healthier with the whole grain versions and portion control {I try}! We finally finished Dexter and I thought the ending was quite traumatizing!!! I am still grieving, and totally understand how you feel without the show.... We are thinking of starting Breaking Bad and/or The Walking Dead!
Thank you for visiting The Gourmet RD and I hope you come back for me good eats 🙂
Julie
Fiona Manoon says
I Have found this recipe quite amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing .
I am going to try this out very soon.
My family will love it. Thanks for posting !!
Julie Andrews says
I hope you love it, Fiona!!
Andrea says
I love these really simple pasta dishes, it's the way to go with Italian or Italian inspired cuisine, use a few quality ingredients and keep it simple. I do a similar spaghetti dish with peas but add quite a lot of chilli because I tend to add chilli to everything. I will give this a go though!
Julie Andrews says
Same!!! Simple yet delicious flavors is the best way to go! I think this would taste delicious with chilies! Gonna have to try that...
Jesse Chrisman says
I am not a big fan of peas alone unless I soak them in butter. I tested out this recipe and it is a great way to get in vegetables. I have made it a few times now and it is very simple to put together, even my daughter can do it! Absolutely delicious.
★★★★★
Brittany Nikolich says
I first tried this recipe when you posted it years ago and it has been a staple in my recipe rotation ever since. I love that it uses ingredients I typically have on hand, and it's fast, easy, healthy, satisfying and delicious! I always look forward to the leftovers too! This one is definitely a keeper 👍
★★★★★
Julie Andrews says
It's a favorite in our house as well! Glad to hear it's become a staple in your house as well. 🙂
Veronica May says
So delicious and easy! I’m going to try and add some shrimp to this next time to up the protein. I think it would go perfectly.
Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Julie Andrews says
Yay! I'm excited you liked it. This is an all-time fave at my house. Shrimp will be delicious with it!
Coleen says
I love this dish! I'm always looking for ways to veganize dishes (my daughter is a vegan), and this is a perfect spring dish! I used 3 tablespoons of Just Egg in place of the egg yolks, and Follow Your Heart parmesan. Absolutely delicious!!!!
★★★★★
Julie Andrews says
I'm so glad you think so, Coleen!! And amazing substitution options! I love how easy this pasta is to add or subtract ingredients based on your preferences, desires, tastes, what you have on hand, etc! It's a go-to in our house!
Hotmessmamma says
Yum!! We had some Zucchini that was sliced that wasn’t all used from a previous recipe so I chopped it and sautéed at same time as garlic. My 3 year old loved it as did I!!
★★★★★
Julie Andrews says
That sounds so yummy!! Great idea to add zucchini and I'm glad your little one loved it, too! Win, win. 🙂
Belsea says
Made exactly as directed. Perfection! Whole family gobbled it up, will make again.
★★★★★
Julie Andrews says
That's awesome to hear, Belsea! I absolutely love this spaghetti. It always sounds good and hits the spot. 🙂
Alfred Dente says
I'm confused. So you cook the pasta til it's al dente, then later you simmer it potentially much longer til the water reduces?
How does that not lead to very overcooked pasta?
I prefer al dente (can't stand overcooked pasta) so I'm worried this step will ruin the meal
Julie Andrews says
Hi Alfred. When you add the pasta water back to the pasta to simmer, it comes together really, really quickly. You then shut the heat off to add the egg yolks. I have made this SO many times (it's one of our very favorites) and it has never resulted in overcooked pasta. If you want to be sure of it, you can cook it a hair less than al dente. Enjoy!
Jeff says
In this house, 2 oz of pasta is NOT a serving -- I make at least 4 oz just for me!
😉
Julie Andrews says
Ha, that's okay! It's just a frame of reference. On the recipe card you can double or triple the recipe!
Beth says
The written recipe is incorrect, based on the video. Also adding frozen peas to a dish that isn’t on heat won’t cook them. It’s peas in the dish and then pasta.
Julie Andrews says
Oops - thanks for catching the typo! It's fixed. The peas should go in with the garlic, then add the cooked pasta. Thanks for letting me know!