About once a week we have a pasta night. It's usually the night where we've had a long day and don't want to put a lot of thought into dinner. We boil a few noodles, throw a sauce together and before we know it, dinner is ready. While we eat a type of pea pasta year round (I always seem to have a bag of frozen peas in the freezer), it comes into heavy rotation when fresh peas are available. The peas work well with the basil and goat cheese, plus they require little in the way of cooking. This meal really takes just about as long as it takes to boil the pasta which means you have dinner in less than 20 minutes.
PrintPea Pasta with Goat Cheese Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 2 good-sized servings 1x
Ingredients
- 6 ounces whole-wheat fettuccine
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 5 scallions, diced through the green part
- 2 cups peas
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, plus extra for topping
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and a pinch of salt; bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain, then set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil, then scallions. Cook for 2, or just until the just to soften Stir in peas; cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. Peas should be warm and starting to blister. Time will vary depending on if using fresh or frozen.
- In a blender, combine the goat cheese, milk, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined. Add to the skillet with the peas, along with the drained pasta and basil. Stir until well combined and serve with an extra sprinkle of basil and goat cheese crumbles, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
+ Can't find vegetarian friendly parmesan? Make your own vegan version!
Find it online: https://naturallyella.com/pea-pasta-goat-cheese-sauce/
Pea Pasta
variations
I love pasta sauces because quite often, they can be used in numerous dishes. This particular goat cheese sauce is easy enough and works well with produce throughout the year.
Vegan: While there's not really an easy swap for just the goat cheese, I recommend using the almond sauce from this pasta recipe with the peas and basil- still good with a slightly nuttier flavor.
Gluten-Free: Try your hand at homemade gluten-free pasta!
Seasonal: A few seasonal varieties: try sweet corn during the summer, sweet potatoes and sage during the fall, and butternut squash and rosemary during the winter.
Explore Goat Cheese
It took me some time to warm up to goat cheese but once I did, I realized what a powerful cheese it can be. Soft goat cheese can crumble salads and grain bowls, be whipped into the perfect topping for toast, or melt into the creamiest of sauces, like this pea pasta. Goat cheese is one of the few cheeses I always keep on hand.
Grilled Corn and Whipped Goat Cheese Quesadilla
Spiced Black Bean Tacos with Goat Cheese
Oat Crepes with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
Vivian | stayaliveandcooking says
Mjamm! That looks delicious. I love goat cheese, I'm drooling!
Nicole says
Oh my gosh! looks sooo yummy! I need to try this asap!
JC says
Lovely use of spring peas and beautiful presentation.
Nicole says
Where does the "sweet corn" come into play? This looks great!
erin says
Whoops- I also use this sauce with sweet corn and the directions were a mix. No sweet corn, just peas 🙂
Linda says
I'm new to viewing your recipes. I don't quite understand the instruction "5 scallions, diced through the green part" so I was double checking by looking closely at the picture. I can't see any scallions - only basil. Can you clarify for me- does this mean the whole scallion including the green part?
erin says
Correct- I use most of the scallion (whites and greens) sautéed with the peas then save a small part of the greens to top the pasta dish.
Meagn says
Wow! I love the simplicity of this pasta dish! My husband and I are not big 'red sauce' fans but we do both love cheese! 🙂 Thank you!
Kate says
That goat cheese sauce sounds incredible! We eat a form of pea pasta all the time too--just last night as a matter of fact (wish I'd had that cheese sauce though). 🙂
Marsha says
What is vegetarian friendly parmesan?
erin says
Parmesan that uses vegetarian rennet or microbial rennet. Most parmesan uses animal rennet, making it not vegetarian.