Whole Wheat Pasta with Peas and Mint

To me, springtime means pasta.  I'm not talking your typically heavy spaghetti and meatballs.  When spring rolls around, I'm craving pasta packed with green vegetables, herbs and dressed in not much more than some starchy water and parmesan cheese.  This pasta is just that.  Whole wheat spaghetti gives a nice, earthy bite. Bright green peas, gently cooked to retain their vibrant hue.  Pour in some pasta water, a few pats of butter and a bit of cheese to create a lightly silky sauce that delicately coats the hot noodles.  A generous sprinkling of fresh mint adds lovely herby flavor. Easy, fast and perfect for a warm spring evening.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Peas and Mint
adapted from this recipe
Serves 2

1/2 box (8oz) whole wheat spaghetti
olive oil
1 heaping cup frozen peas
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/4 tsp freshly grated black pepper
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
3-4 sprigs of mint leaves, thinly julienned
kosher salt

Bring pasta water to a boil.  Cook pasta for 7 minutes (or 2 minutes under the recommended cooking time on the box).  You want the pasta to retain a slight bite. Drain pasta, reserving one cup of the starchy cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat a generous glug of olive oil in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic, shallot and black pepper and cook until fragrant, about one minute.  Add the frozen peas and cook for another minute or until peas are just heated through.  Add one cup of the reserved pasta water and bring to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook until it has absorbed some of the water and the sauce has thickened, about 1-2 minutes.  Add in the butter and parmesan and toss until the butter is melted, the cheese is evenly distributed and the pasta is cooked to al dente.  Remove pan from the heat and stir in the mint.  Season with salt (note the parmesan is quite salty so you likely won't need much).  Serve hot.

Peas + Fresh Mint = True Love.

Toss it all up.

Dig in.