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Pasta e piselli
Pasta and pea soup
Pasta e piselli: Naples's soupy one-pot pasta with peas, onion and Parmigiano
Pasta e piselli is the Neapolitan pasta children ask for: small pasta cooked right in a pan of sweet peas and soft onion until it is half soup, half pasta, finished with a heap of grated Parmigiano and a grind of pepper. In spring it's made with fresh peas; the rest of the year frozen petits pois work perfectly. Many families add pancetta, but the vegetarian version is just as loved. Parmigiano is made with animal rennet; choose a vegetarian hard cheese if you need to. Chef's tip: stir the cheese in off the heat with a splash of water; it melts into a creamy sauce instead of turning stringy.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 4 ¼ cups water or vegetable stockhot
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¾ oz Parmigiano Reggiano or a vegetarian hard cheesegrated
- ½ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/4 doneStep 2: Add 14 oz frozen petits pois or fresh peas and stir for 2 minutes, then pour in half of 4 ¼ cups water or vegetable stock and 1 tsp salt. Simmer for 5 minutes. Mash a few peas against the side of the pan to thicken the broth.
7 minStep 3: Add 9 oz small pasta (ditalini or broken spaghetti) and cook, stirring and adding the rest of the hot water as needed, for 9–11 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the mixture is thick and soupy. Common mistake: letting it dry out; it should be loose, almost like a stew.
11 minStep 4: Take off the heat and stir in 1 ¾ oz Parmigiano Reggiano or a vegetarian hard cheese and ½ tsp black pepper. Serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 74 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pasta e piselli take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of water or vegetable stock?
- Chicken stock, same amount (not vegetarian).
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