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One-Pot Pasta with Peas (Pasta e Piselli)

This savory pasta with peas (pasta e piselli) is very popular staple in the Italian American kitchen! With only a few ingredients, you can have this one pot recipe ready in less than 30 minutes!

A few reasons I love this dish:

  • Easy to make
  • Comes together quickly!
  • Cheap ingredients but not junky
  • Contains unfussy staple ingredients that are easy to keep on hand
  • So easy to customize!
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Pasta with peas! I’ve been eating this dish for as long as I can remember because my mom made it for me when I was a little kiddo. And we still make it!

This is one of those Italian comfort food dishes that is so easy to make and is also easy to customize.

Some Italian Americans make this dish with a red sauce; our version is not red, it is served with chicken broth or vegetable broth or plain (ie, no broth).

Ingredients

  • Pasta – I used small shells but elbow pasta would also work or you can break spaghetti up into smalls pieces before boiling.
  • Peas – I prefer fresh frozen but you can use whatever you have on hand/like.
  • Onion – this lends a wonderful sweetness that I believe pairs so well with peas!
  • Olive oil
  • Red pepper flakes (just a pinch; completely optional)
  • Not shown: (for topping) grated cheese, toasted breadcrumbs, freshly ground black pepper, and/or cooked and crumbled bacon or pancetta (all optional, to taste)

Steps

  • Add olive oil to large pan along with red pepper and saute about 1 minute over medium heat until fragrant.
  • Then add diced onion and continue cooking for about 3 or 4 more minutes OR until onion becomes translucent and starts to darken a little bit.
  • Add frozen peas (or canned if using) with a cup of water and heat for about 5 to 10 minutes until peas have defrosted and are tender. Add salt and pepper. If you like peas that are very tender, I recommend cooking the peas longer (low and slow), up to 15 or 20 minutes over very low heat. You may have to add more water if the mixture dries out.
  • Add pasta and then pour just enough more water into the pan to barely cover the pasta and peas.
  • Give everything a good stir, cover, bring to a boil and cook pasta according to instructions (typically 9 to 11 minutes).
  • When pasta is finished cooking, ladle into bowls, and add chicken broth if desired.
  • Optional: Drizzle with additional olive oil, fresh black pepper, grated cheese, and/or toasted break crumbs.

Enjoy!

large pan of pasta with peas with wooden on grey table

Substitutions

  • Vegan – top with nutritional yeast instead of grated cheese.
  • Broth – may use chicken broth (traditional), vegetable broth, or no broth (make sure to reserve pasta water if not using broth in case mixture becomes too dry).
  • Peas – may use either frozen or canned.
  • Pasta – may use any kind of pasta (gluten free or traditional). I like smaller sized pasta which is traditional for pasta with peas or you may break spaghetti into small pieces.

Variations

  • Spicy – add more red pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or just a bit of diced banana peppers.
  • Deluxe – add more peas, and/or add prosciutto, pancetta, bacon or ham. And/or, deglaze the pan after cooking peas with a glass of red or white wine. Make sure to cook off the alcohol for a few minutes before proceeding with next step of adding/cooking pasta.
  • Red Sauce – add crushed or regular tomato sauce before adding water to boil pasta.

Serving and storage

  • Please note that the pasta will continue to absorb broth or extra pasta water so this is best served immediately after making. If making ahead, loosely drain any extra pasta water and/or do not add broth until ready to eat.
  • Store the broth separately from the pasta and peas in the fridge, and recombine when ready. Good for 2-3 days.
  • These ingredients don’t stand up well to freezing as the pasta will become mushy.

Top tips

Don’t overcook the pasta! Pasta always continues to cook a bit while it’s still hot and it will continue to absorb the broth or pasta water if it’s left sitting in liquid.

Season well – test for enough salt, pepper and add grated cheese to taste. I also love to finish this dish with a nice drizzle of olive oil.

Avoid dryness: Serve immediately after cooking. If that’s not possible, reserve some pasta water (ladle some out into a Ball jar if you have one) to add when serving OR heat up some chicken or vegetable broth on the side to add just before serving. Also drizzle liberally with olive oil.

Instant Pot Instructions

  • Using the saute feature, cook the onions with red pepper flake and olive oil until the onions is translucent and starts to brown just a bit.
  • Add pasta, peas, and add just enough water to cover ingredients.
  • Cook on manual pressure for 4 minutes.
  • Use quick release and add warm chicken or vegetable broth if desired
  • Top with grated cheese, black pepper, toasted breadcrumbs or leftover chopped bacon.

More Pasta Recipes….

📖 Recipe

large pan of pasta with peas with wooden on grey table

Pasta with Peas (Easy, One Pot Cooking)

This savory pasta with peas is very popular staple in the Italian kitchen! With only a few ingredients, you can have this one pot version ready in less than 45 minutes!
5 from 4 votes
Author: Marie
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 384 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 6 ounces (1 1/4 cups) uncooked short pasta ditalini or elbows recommended
  • 16 ounces (3 cups) peas I use frozen
  • 1 large (1 cups) onion diced (I like to use sweet onion)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt the grated cheese can make this salty to less is better to start
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
  • 1/2 cup grated cheese (or more) parmesan or locatelli, for topping

For serving

  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth warmed; optional if you want more broth

Instructions
 

  • Add olive oil to a large saute pan along with red pepper (if using), and saute for about 1 minute over medium heat until fragrant.
  • Add diced onion and sliced garlic and continue cooking for about 3 or 4 more minutes OR until onion becomes translucent and darkens slightly.
  • Add frozen peas to the pan, and saute until they have defrosted. Then add enough water to cover the peas, cover the pan with the lid ajar, and cook for about 20 minutes or until the level of desired tenderness is reached.
  • Continue adding water to keep the mixture from drying out, help tenderize peas, and impart the onion flavor.
  • After the peas have been cooked, add the dried pasta to the pan and the salt, and then pour enough extra water to fully submerge the pasta and peas with about 1-inch of extra water on top.
  • Give everything a good stir, cover, boil, and cook pasta according to package instructions. You may uncover or place the lid ajar after the mixture boils.
  • Add black pepper to taste and about half the cheese. Stir well. Adjust for salt.
  • After cooking, ladle pasta with peas into bowls and add some warm chicken broth if desired.
  • Garnish with more grated cheese and plenty of black pepper.
  • Serve immediately (if serving later, pour off and reserve broth so that the pasta will not continue absorbing the broth).

Notes

Instant Pot Instructions: 
  • Using the saute feature, cook the onions with red pepper flakes and olive oil.
  • Add pasta and peas, and add just enough water to cover the ingredients.
  • Cook on manual pressure for 4 minutes.
  • Use quick release
  • Serve with chicken or vegetable broth if desired.
  • Top with grated cheese and black pepper. 
May also make pasta with peas using leftover peas, ideally that have been cooked with onion. Simply boil pasta and mix with peas, adding optional broth, cheese, black pepper, etc.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 15gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 250mgPotassium: 440mgFiber: 9gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1047IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 146mgIron: 2mg
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