The first time I had pasta and peas was at my hairdressers. I know, what a weird spot to eat Italian food, while you’re getting a haircut! My hairdresser is Italian, and his Mom always makes pasta on Thursday’s, so they always offer it anyone that’s there. It was delicious. So I asked how she made it.
It turns out to be so simple. I think it was a dish that was made during the depression, with very few main ingredients. It is extremely cheap to make, feeds a ton of people, and is extremely good! And, is extremely easy!
Pasta and Peas
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Pasta with home made pasta sauce, peas and cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb. Ditalini pasta
- 1 – 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp or so sugar
- Sprinkling of oregano, basil and parsley, dried
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 bag frozen peas
- 1 Tbsp butter
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring water in a large saucepot for pasta to a boil.
- For sauce, heat olive oil in a saucepot or saute pan, and cook 3/4 of the onion until translucent (save the other 1/4 for the pea mixture). Add garlic, and cook approx 1 minute (be careful not to burn garlic). Add crushed tomatoes, seasonings to taste, sugar and salt and pepper. Cook sauce on low light for approx. 20 minutes.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, approx 10 minutes. Strain pasta reserving 1 c. pasta water. Put pasta back in to saucepot.
- For peas, in a small skillet, melt 1 Tbsp butter. Add the leftover 1/4 of onion, and cook until translucent. Add peas and cook until bright green and warmed.
- Add sauce and peas to pasta. Add some grated Parmesan cheese. Mix. If sauce is too thick, thin with some of the pasta water.
- Serve in a huge bowl. Add more grated Parmesan cheese as desired.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
9 Comments
Theresa
March 15, 2017 at 1:33 amHow much sugar?
Sandie
March 28, 2017 at 5:21 pmHi Theresa,
I’d say about a teaspoon or so. It’s just to combat the acidity of the tomatoes.
vincent Camarda
May 12, 2017 at 2:06 amYour directions call for cooking the sauce for 20 mins. You also call for some sugar to combat the acidity for the tomatoes. I recall my grandma telling me to put a peeled onion in the sauce. This was to offset the bitterness. I simmer a pot of sauce for at least 2-3 hours. The thought of adding sugar to a sauce turns it into Ragu! Sacrilege! I dont know if 20 mins is long enough for the onion to work. FYI a good supermarket jar sauce is Raos. Twice the price..but worth it
Sandie
May 14, 2017 at 9:04 amVincent, the onion sounds like a great idea! This sauce is a fresh marinara so it only cooks about 20 minutes. I have had sauces that cook all day as well. Those sauces are equally delicious!
Barbara
July 1, 2017 at 1:25 pmI never put sugar in my sauce. My Italian relatives always put a peeled carrot in the sauce as it absorbs all the acidity. Never heard of an onion but sounds just as good to me.
Nancy
September 12, 2017 at 1:57 pmYeah no sugar!
Doesn’t need it
I’ve been cooking this for years
Sandie
October 7, 2017 at 11:06 amDefinitely a tried and true Italian recipe, using staple ingredients. Our ancestors sure knew how to cook!
Anna Merreighn
January 18, 2018 at 6:34 pmWhat do I do with a cup of water I reserved from the pasta?
Sandie
February 4, 2018 at 9:22 amHi Anna, Sorry, I just added that to the recipe. Whenever you make any pasta dish like Pasta & Peas, Carbonara, etc, it’s always a good idea to reserve a little pasta water. If your end result is a little thick, the pasta water thins the dish, but with a great consistency. As in Carbonara, it thins the sauce to a beautiful shiny and silky consistency. Enjoy!