Gigli Pasta with Peas

A pot with cooked gigli pasta and green peas.

Gigli pasta with peas is a great pasta dinner recipe. It combines the traditional pasta e piselli (pasta with green peas) recipe with gigli pasta instead of the regular small pasta it's cooked with. This makes for a fun pasta dinner that kids absolutely love!!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword Gigli e piselli, Gigli pasta, Gigli pasta with peas

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 12

Total Time 17

Servings servings

Calories 773kcal

Author Sonila

Equipment

1 Pasta Pot
1 Deep skillet

Ingredients

1 lb gigli pasta usually 1 package of gigli pasta is about 1 lb or 500 grams
5 tbsps olive oil extra virgin
1 yellow onion
0.5 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cups green peas
1 cup grated cheese most commonly Parmesan, for more traditional taste pick Pecorino Romano
black pepper freshly grated, add to taste
2 ozs white wine (optional)
1 tbsp sea salt I use most of it in the pasta water then just a little bit to adjust taste towards the end.

Instructions

Dice the yellow onion as fine as possible. Then grate 1 cup of your favorite pasta cheese. (I alternate between parmesan and Pecorino Romano based on availability and sometimes price).
Fill the pasta pot with water and place it on the stove top to boil. Once it boils, add salt then add the gigli pasta in. Cook for about 6-7 minutes (don't finish cooking the pasta). Drain but reserve the pasta water.
Get a deep skillet add olive oil on medium heat. Add onion to olive oil and using a wooden spoon, stir around to saute the onion. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until onion becomes translucent and soft.
Add crushed red pepper and cook while stirring for another 30 seconds to a minute so it releases flavor and color.
Add green peas and the white wine. Add a cup of pasta water once the white wine evaporates. Smash some of the green peas against the sides of the skillet with the wooden spoon. Add gigli pasta in and if needed a little more pasta water to finish cooking peas and pasta together.
Once you achieve the desired consistency, turn heat off, remove deep skillet from heat and add a cup of freshly grated cheese in. Mix well and serve right away. Add more grated cheese and freshly grated black pepper to each individual serving. You can also add some more olive oil individually to each plate as well.

Notes

Frozen or fresh peas - you can use either or. Fresh peas will take few minutes longer to cook, so in that case I might change the order of cooking just to give the peas enough time to soften.
Storing instructions - I store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Salt content - I try to use about 1 tbsp of salt for about 4 quarts of water (in order to cook 1 lb of pasta). However, you can adjust this up or down based on your needs and taste.

Nutrition