Weeknight Dinners
Lemon Pea Pasta with a Light Cream Sauce
Frozen peas and lemon turn a short ingredient list into a bright weeknight pasta.
A bag of frozen peas is useful for more than filling gaps on a plate. In this pasta they bring sweetness, color, and a little bite, while lemon cuts through the cream.
The sauce needs pasta water more than it needs extra cream. Save a mug before draining, then add it a little at a time until the sauce coats the pasta instead of sitting in a thick layer at the bottom of the pan.
THE RECIPE
Lemon Pea Pasta with a Light Cream Sauce
Amounts scale automatically. Keep piece sizes similar; pan size and cooking time may need adjustment. Round whole ingredients sensibly.
Ingredients
Method
Boil the pasta
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water following the packet timing. Add peas for the final 2 minutes. Reserve a mug of cooking water, then drain.
Start the sauce
While pasta cooks, warm oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Stir garlic for 30 seconds without letting it brown. Add cream and 60 ml pasta water. Simmer gently for 1 minute.
Toss together
Add drained pasta and peas to the sauce. Toss over low heat, adding more pasta water a little at a time until glossy.
Add the lemon
Remove from heat. Stir in lemon zest, juice, Parmesan if using, and pepper. Taste before adding the measured salt; the cheese and cooking water may already be enough.
Small details that help
Lemon goes in last
Adding it off the heat keeps the flavor fresher and reduces the chance of splitting the cream.
Reserve more water than needed
You can discard extra water; you cannot recover it after draining.
Serve promptly
Creamy pasta thickens as it stands. A splash of warm water brings it back together.
Substitutions & ways to make it yours
No cream
Use 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a little more pasta water, and Parmesan if suitable.
Extra greens
Wilt a handful of spinach into the warm sauce.
Vegan version
Use plant-based cooking cream and omit Parmesan. Check the pasta ingredients too.
A couple of useful questions
Can I use canned peas?
They work, but are much softer. Drain and add them with the cooked pasta rather than boiling them.
Will bottled lemon juice work?
It can supply acidity, but fresh zest adds much of the aroma. Use fresh lemon when available.
