spring pasta

Spring pasta with peas recipe with curly reginetti pasta, peas and Parmesan.

Reginetti Pasta with Fresh Peas

reginetti pasta (or shells, fusilli, orecchiette, etc)

Kosher salt

butter

extra virgin olive oil

shallot (finely chopped)

pea shoots (chopped)

shelling peas shelled peas

creme fraiche

Parmesan cheese

Bring 4 quarts water and 2 tablespoons kosher salt to a boil.

While the water boils, put the butter and oil in a saute pan over medium heat with a pinch of salt. Add the shallot and cook gently until softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in the greens and cook just until they turn bright green and wilt.

Cook the pasta until just about al dente. Drop in the peas during the last few minutes of cooking. Drain. Add to the saute pan along with the creme fraiche, stirring over low heat until the sauce coats the pasta. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

This lemony green pasta recipe tastes as bright as it looks! It's easy to make with kale, pasta, and peas—they all cook in the same pot. Serve this pasta immediately for the best color and texture; leftovers are best consumed within a day or two. Recipe yields 4 servings.

Lemony Green Pasta with Peas &amp; Ricotta

salt

olive oil

garlic,

red pepper flakes, reduce

black pepper,

(8 ounces) rigatoni

peas

Bring a large pot (5-quart capacity or greater) of heavily salted water to boil. Meanwhile, prepare your kale by slicing or stripping the leaves from the stems (save them). Discard the rough bottom of the stems, then slice the stems into pieces about 1/4-inch wide. Place the stem pieces in a fine-mesh sieve.

When the water is boiling, place the sieve in the water, resting the lip against the top of the pot. Cook the stems for 3 minutes, then remove the sieve and add all of the kale leaves to the pot. Put the sieve back in the water on top of the leaves and cook for 5 minutes (do not drain the water).

Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle, then reduce the heat to low. Cook gently, lightly shimmying the pan and turning the garlic every now and then, until the garlic is soften and turning lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the contents into a stand blender.

Add the cooked kale stems to the blender when the time&#8217;s up. Use tongs to transfer the kale leaves over to the blender (you actually want to bring some of the water with them). Add most of the zest from the lemon, and 1 tablespoon of the juice. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, the red pepper flakes (if using), plus about 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper.

Blend until the mixture is completely smooth and silky, adding more spoonfuls of water if necessary to gain traction. Taste, and add more salt, pepper or pepper flakes, and/or another tablespoon of lemon if desired. We want it to taste lemony! Set aside.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente according to the package directions, stirring often. Place the peas in the sieve and cook them in the water until they&#8217;re warmed throughout, about 1 to 2 minutes if fresh, or 2 to 3 minutes if frozen. Set the peas aside.

Before draining the pasta, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water with a heat-safe measuring cup. Drain the pasta, then return it to the pot. Pour in the green sauce, about 3/4 of the Parmesan and the peas, and add a small splash of the reserved cooking water (not the end of the world if you forgot it). Stir gently until the pasta is well coated and bright green, adding another splash or two of pasta water to loosen the sauce and make it almost creamy.

Divide into bowls immediately. Top each with a sprinkle of the remaining Parmesan, a few dollops of ricotta, and a sprinkle of lemon zest and red pepper flakes (both optional). Finish the bowls with a light drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy! Leftovers will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator, covered (technically, they&#8217;ll last up to 4, but the flavor degrades as time goes on).

way too complicated just reading it. Whats a "stand Blender". Would love to try a less complicated version. if the stems are causing complication can I just chuck them and avoid that?

At first glance, I also thought this recipe may be more complicated than I wanted to take on. 

I'm SO glad I made it though. It actually came together very quickly &amp; easily and was delicious! 

It's also a great way to use up a bunch of kale and/or to sneak extra veggies into dinner. 

Thanks Kate for sharing!

We loved it! It was a perfect, healthy spring comfort dish.  I’d love to try it again and add some chopped asparagus (Maybe a couple of minutes ahead of adding the peas?)

I liked your method of cooking stems.  I did not have a sieve with a long handle so I had to get creative and use a small mesh colander and tongs.  Not the safest method, but works if you’re careful! And still more efficient than fishing them out with tongs, which is what I’ve done when I’ve made Josh’s.

Thank you for another great recipe!  I’ve been following you for a few years now and appreciate how consistent the quality of your work is :)

Used arugula with shells ... excellent dish!!!!

A coworker shared this recipe and I had just made fresh ricotta! I had radish tops from my "ugly" produce box and made cavatelli pasta with whole wheat flour. I am not a fan of peas, so I used small pieces of roasted asparagus (also from that box). This is delicious! The sauce got into the crannies of the pasta and the cheeses added a creaminess to the dish. Thank you for the recipe!

Really enjoyed this recipe! I suspect the kale sauce will lend itself to many variations. I added chopped sugar snap peas (cooked like the green peas) and a handful of slow-roasted cherry tomatoes as a garnish. Next time I'll skip the ricotta - will probably just add more salty cheese to the top. 8 oz of pasta is not a lot for 4 main-dish servings without sides - I increased the pasta to 12 oz and the 4 of us ate it all. There was plenty of sauce for that! 

A lasagna with this sauce would be interesting - hopefully kitchen experimentation will give me something relaxing to do while staying home. Thanks for an innovative and delicious recipe!

So delicious! Much easier to make than it seems. The red pepper adds a nice finishing taste. I will be making this a lot!!

My husband made this over the weekend and it was absolutely delicious! Comforting and fresh at the same time. My toddler was intrigued by the green sauce, but couldn't be convinced to try it this time. Hopefully he'll sample it next time because I think he would enjoy it!

Loved this pasta and my kids thought it was GREAT! It was our St. Patrick’s Day dinner. :) They usually do not ‘green’ but after a polite bite they were wowed by the lemon.

Yum! Made with Cavalo Nero, green beans and lemons all from the garden (NZ autumn veg...) - this was amazing. I don't have a blender, so used the food processor - it came out absolutely fine (a slightly chunkier sauce than a blender would have made, I think). Such an easy dish to make as well, perfect for a late evening home from work.

Ehh..we didn't love it. It's okay for adults, but the cheese didn't really mitigate the bitterness of the kale enough for little kids to enjoy it. My toddler and preschooler ate it, but my K and 1st grader boycotted entirely.

Review of recipe : I made it less complicated and don’t believe the taste suffered. Basically I microwaved unpeeled garlic in oil to soften them added to blender prior to adding Kale . Didn't use stems and added Arugula to make up extra needed. I waited till pasta was almost done then added the peas and drained together. Stirred everything in the pasta pot and plated from stove.  Only two big things to clean blender and pasta pot.  I did use ricotta as well as hand shaved aged Romano.

This recipe is delicious and so nourishing! It does have a few extra steps, but it's not really complex. It's actually pretty quick, and I'm sure it'll be even easier to make next time, now that I've gotten the hang of it. A couple of quick notes:
- We used a bag of pre-chopped kale and just didn't worry about the stem cooking recommendations. We just picked out any pieces that had really giant stem chunks. So easy.
- We used fresh asparagus cut into bite sized pieces instead of peas. We just tossed them into the water for the last 2 minutes while boiling the pasta.
- There was a lot of sauce! We probably could have increased the pasta a little bit to even out the proportions. 
- We forgot to save the pasta water (oops), so we added a tiny splash of tap water and an extra drizzle of olive oil to thin out the sauce a bit. Worked out just fine!

All in all, we loved it and would totally make it again!

This was so good! I used Greek yogurt instead of ricotta because that's what I had. To the leftovers I added sundried tomatoes and a poached egg and it was awesome! I would have never thought to add an egg to pasta, so thanks for that, I will be doing it a lot from here on out! Also lasted really well, finished it on the 4th day and was still amazing.

I made this last night. Wowza! it was delicious and so easy. I'll be eating it all week (I live alone). To make it "work" for the next few days, I only made a single serving of pasta and added some sauce and cheese to that. So there is sauce with peas in the fridge ready for the next steps.

Wow!  That was tasty!  Made it for myself on a rainy, slightly boring, WFH day here in NorCal.   Sometimes I just get "mouth hungry" and I want  to eat something that fills up my mouth with tasty goodness without overfilling my stomach.  This totally hits the spot!  Good for me greens with flavor and texture that is so satisfying. (PS used Chevre - fresh goat cheese - because that's what I had in fridge)

Love all your recipes - have not been disappointed by one yet!

This recipe was amazing! Had to use spinach instead of kale because it’s what I had and shelves were cleared out. But it worked well! Tasty, super healthy, and so quick and easy!

I’m trying to get my family to be vegetarian 70-80% if the time, and your recipes are really helping! I made this but used about 50/50 kale and arugula (not cooking arugula). It was delicious and an instant favorite. I increased it and froze extra sauce then made a variation a few days later with gnocchi, my sons favorite. Super delicious.

This was SO delicious! Didn't get the vibrant, dark green from my Lacinato kale that the photo shows--was more of an olive green--but thankfully that didn't affect the wonderful flavor! Although there are a number of steps in this recipe, it comes together pretty easily as long as you have everything prepared by the time the water boils. Thanks so much for this, Kate! I'm looking forward to making it for a dinner party some day.

The green pasta sauce is so, so good! It tastes decadent and nutritious all at once. Another winner!

This truly is a wonderful springy gem! Bucatini noodles in a garlic-infused creamy sauce and twirled around buttery bits of asparagus and peas. SO GOOD! 

Garlic Cream Bucatini with Peas and Asparagus

DeLallo Bucatini Pasta

half a bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed and sliced diagonally (about 1 1/2 cups once cut)

garlic, grated

broth

heavy cream

lemon

lemon juice

salt and pepper

breadcrumbs

Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.

Melt butter over medium heat. Add asparagus and cook for 5 minutes, until soft and bright green. (You&#8217;ll simmer the asparagus a bit longer in the sauce, so it&#8217;s okay if it&#8217;s still a little firm.)

Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. 

Add broth and heavy cream; bring to a low simmer. Once it thickens into more of a sauce, add in the frozen peas for the final few minutes of cooking. Season with the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. 

Toss the sauce with the pasta; keep it all over low heat for a few minutes so the pasta and the sauce really come together. Let stand for a few minutes if necessary for everything to thicken and the sauce to really cling on to the pasta. Top with lots and lots of breadcrumbs, and some rotisserie chicken or sautéed shrimp if you want! So yum!

Can't wait to make this with chicken or salmon!  Sounds divine and i LOVE bucatini pasta!!

Looking for a healthy lunch or dinner recipe? Make this easy spring pasta recipe made with seasonal snow peas, corn, olives, and more.

Spring Pasta Salad

oz/250 g pasta

corn

snow peas, thinly sliced

kalamata olives

vegan feta

tbsp tahini

tbsp mustard

tbsp white miso

garlic, minced

lime, juiced

tsp fresh or frozen mixed herbs

pepper

Prep the pasta

Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Rinse with cold water to cool, then drain.


Add the vegetables

Add cold pasta, corn, snow peas, and olives to a large salad bowl.

For the dressing

For the dressing whisk together mayo, tahini, mustard, miso, garlic, lime juice, and herbs. Add a few tablespoons of water to reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble salad

Pour dressing over salad, and mix well together. Serve immediately or chilled.

Pasta Primavera or "Spring Pasta" highlights tender spring vegetables-asparagus, peas, leeks and pea shoots, tossed with pappardelle, lemon zest, olive oil and spring herbs.

Pasta Primavera Recipe

pasta- tagliatelle, fettuccine, pappardelle

leek, thinly sliced (or sub 2 shallots

fennel bulb,

asparagus,

snap peas,

pea shoots, 1 watermelon radish

tarragon, mint,

Italian parsley

Optional : 1/4-1/2 Greek yogurt (or plain kefir)

Cook pasta

Set salted water to boil for pasta &#8211; 2 quarts water with 2 teaspoons salt, and boil pasta until al dente, saving one cup of hot salted pasta water.

Saute Veggies

In an EXTRA-LARGE saute pan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Saute onion and fennel, until softened, add asparagus, snow peas (see notes for substitutions) and garlic, season with salt and pepper and continue to saute until tender-crisp and bright green. Slightly under cooking is better than overcooking here. 🙂

Combine

Add the pasta, lemon zest, cheese, pea shoots and watermelon radish, and a little pasta water to loosen it, tossing to coat the pasta,  heating it up gently, allowing the cheese to incorporate. Toss in 2/3rds of the herbs. Taste and add more salt as needed. Add a generous drizzle of good olive oil or  added creaminess, toss in some plain yogurt- start with 1/2 cup, more as desired.

Taste once more, adjusting salt and pepper. If it is bland, it needs more salt.

Pour it onto a serving platter and scatter with the remaining herbs. Enjoy!

Another great recipe! I didn't add the yogurt, and opted for the good olive oil drizzle. I bought pecorino cheese for this dish, and wow it's delicious. I like how this pasta dish is light, healthy, and showcases spring's beautiful veggies and herbs.

Omg! Excellent and bursting with Spring flavors. I didn’t plan ahead for all the chopping, but it was well worth the effort. I used both 2 Tbsp tarragon and a handful of chopped mint. The mint gave the dish a lovely finish. Thank you for the recipe

Super simple Artichoke Pasta made with marinated artichokes, lemon, garlic and parmesan. This pasta recipe is ready in just 10 minutes and with a &quot;no-cook&quot; pasta sauce all you need to do is boil the pasta and it&#039;s ready. Another great, quick weeknight dinner!

Artichoke Pasta

pasta

artichoke hearts

garlic (peeled)

juice lemon

peas ((100 grams))

4-5 torn fresh basil leaves

Add the artichokes (reserve the oil), parmesan, garlic clove and lemon juice to a bowl.

Blitz to a smooth paste using an immersion blender adding a little reserved oil as needed. You can also use a food processor, Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. When the pasta is almost done (about 1 minute away from al dente) add the peas and boil for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Reserve one cup of pasta water then drain. Add the pasta and peas back to the pot and add the artichoke mixture.

Add a splash of reserved pasta water (around 1-2 tbsp) and toss the pasta to coat it evenly in the sauce. Add just enough water to loosen the sauce (you won&#039;t need it all).

Serve with basil and more parmesan if desired.

This healthy Pesto Pasta with Arugula, Asparagus, Peas, and Pistachios is fresh, bright, and absolutely delicious!

Pesto Pasta with Arugula, Asparagus, Peas, and Pistachios

basil

baby arugula

garlic (chopped)

Parmesan cheese (plus (optional) more for serving*)

lemon (halved)

pistachios (chopped)

extra virgin olive oil (plus 2 teaspoons)

whole-wheat Delallo fusilli (other short pasta shape)

asparagus

peas (thawed)

red pepper flakes (optional

red pepper

Basil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender (I used my mini processor), add the basil, ½ cup of the arugula, the garlic, Parmesan, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, juice from ½ lemon and 1 tablespoon pistachios.

Pulse to chop, scraping the sides of the processor or blender as needed, to evenly combine. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing and scraping the sides to combine as needed.

When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. One minute before the pasta is done, add the asparagus and peas and continue cooking the pasta with the veggies for the remaining 1 minute.

Carefully scoop out about ¼ cup of the pasta water then drain pasta and veggies.

Transfer the pasta and veggies to a large bowl then add the pesto.  Toss to combine.  Add the reserved pasta water, about 1 tablespoon at a time, gently mixing to combine, until sauce is smooth and pasta is well coated.

Layer the remaining arugula, about 1 cup each in the bottom of 5 shallow bowls or on a large serving platter.

Squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon half over the arugula then drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil.  Top with the pasta (about 1 ½ cups each if serving in individual bowls) then garnish with remaining pistachios and more cheese and pepper flakes (if using). You can eat this warm or cold.

Really enjoyed this!  I wilted all the arugula into the pasta rather than serving it as a salad.  Very good!

I did really enjoy this salad. I made it for friends and everyone enjoyed it. I did think the taste was a bit one-dimensional for a standalone dinner, and I started craving sun-dried tomatoes while eating it, so that would be an idea for next time. I also thought it was very filling, but I missed having protein. Next time for a stand-alone dinner, I would add chicken or shrimp or something.

Just made this, swapping the pasta with chickpea pasta. It was DELICIOUS!!

My new favorite salad!! I added some mozzarella cheese balls

Absolutely delicious, and so easy to make!

The whole family loved this!   Will definitely make this again. I shared the recipe with all my friends too.

With a couple of additions, this was great! I love pesto &amp; have been missing it. I thought the initial flavor was a little too lemony, so I drizzled my arugula/spinach with oil&amp; red wine vinegar instead &amp; this seemed to balance the lemon. I added some crumbled hot Italian sausage over my pesto bowl &amp; loved it!

I’ll admit I used a premade pesto sauce but I think this recipe was excellent!

This was a wonderful, bright verdant pesto! I love the flavor that the pistachio lends!

Absolutely delicious! Fresh and bright and savory. Very filling. I used spinach instead of arugula (personal preference).

This was wonderful! The cool spring weather has produced a plethora of arugula and I’m always looking for innovative ideas for its use. The only change I made to the recipe was to add some crispy prosciutto with the pistachios at serving time. Yum!!

I don't understand the comment from one reviewer describing the sauce as "creamy".  That didn't happen for me.  I didn't hold out much hope for the dish, but it was very good.  I will make more of the pesto the next time.  I will also mix the lemon and oil into a type of dressing for the arugula.  I sometimes caught a bite of pure lemon which wasn't wonderful.  We ate it at room temperature.   It was a nice side for the steak.

Top 8 spring pasta recipes from across the web

The most viewed spring pasta recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Reginetti Pasta with Fresh Peas

Lemony Green Pasta with Peas & ...

Garlic Cream Bucatini with Peas and...

Garlic Cream Bucatini with Peas and...

Spring Pasta Salad

Pasta Primavera Recipe

Artichoke Pasta

Pesto Pasta with Arugula, Asparagus...

Top 8 spring pasta recipes from across the web

The most viewed spring pasta recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Reginetti Pasta with Fresh Peas

Lemony Green Pasta with Peas &amp; ...

Garlic Cream Bucatini with Peas and...

Garlic Cream Bucatini with Peas and...

Spring Pasta Salad

Pasta Primavera Recipe

Artichoke Pasta

Pesto Pasta with Arugula, Asparagus...

The most viewed spring pasta recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Lemony Green Pasta with Peas & ...