This simple, creamy Lemon Parmesan Pasta with Spring Peas is springtime in a bowl! The lemony flavor and spring peas add a brightness to this dish that makes me think of sunshine.
Creamy pasta with a delicious lemony zing! What is not to love about this pasta dish?
This Lemon Parmesan Pasta with Spring Peas dish has always been a hit in our home. My husband absolutely loves peas and we add them everywhere we can! Myself, I am obsessed with all things lemon and so this is the perfect marriage of our two favorites. They come together in all this carby glory, because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good pasta dish? We certainly do! So here we are with the most perfect springtime pasta recipe our carb-loving, pea and lemon-loving hearts could ask for.
Pure sunshine on a plate!
Did I mention just how easy and quick this recipe is? Seriously, this meal comes together in 20 minutes! And its simple and so easy to do too.
Ingredients in Lemon Parmesan Pasta with Spring Peas
- Pasta: such as linguine, fettuccine, or similar. You can use your favorite pasta shape for this recipe.
- Olive oil or butter
- Lemon: Lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan: grated.
- Peas: frozen.
- Seasoning: salt and pepper.
- Fresh basil: sliced thinly, to garnish.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
How to make Lemon Parmesan Pasta with Spring Peas
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Cooking time will depend on the type of pasta you choose.
- Make the cream sauce. Over medium heat, heat the olive oil or butter and add the lemon zest and cream, whisking continuously until it begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the Parmesan. Continue to whisk for 2 more minutes. Add frozen peas and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon juice. Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce. Drain the cooked pasta and return it to the pot, reserving 1/2 a cup of the pasta water. Add the cream sauce to the pasta and toss to coat it evenly. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta water as needed.
- Serve. Plate the pasta and sprinkle with fresh basil and extra Parmesan cheese before serving.
What to serve with Lemon Parmesan Pasta with Spring Peas
This pasta dish is great as a main course or as a side dish. You can keep it as is and serve it up vegetarian, but you can also add your favorite protein. This dish goes great with:
- a light side salad, for a vegetarian meal
- loaded with more veggies like asparagus, spinach or cherry tomatoes
- chicken breast (or your favourite cut of chicken)
- shrimp
- seared scallops
- steak
Storing leftovers and reheating
Once cooled, leftover pasta can be placed in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for a few days.
To reheat it, add the pasta back into a saucepan or skillet and add a little water to “loosen” up the sauce. Heat the pasta over medium-low heat until warmed through.
I hope you enjoy this family favorite as much as we do!
-Cathy
You may also like:
Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta
Lightened Up Creamy Seafood Pasta
Orecchiette Pasta with Asparagus Pesto
Easy Penne Pasta with Ground Turkey
Lemon Parmesan Pasta with Spring Peas
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz pasta such as linguine, fettucine, or similar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan grated
- 1 cup peas frozen or fresh
- 1/2 lemon juiced (or more if you like a more lemony flavor)
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil sliced thinly, to garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Cooking time will depend on the type of pasta you choose.
- Over medium heat, heat the olive oil or butter and add the lemon zest and cream, whisking continuously until it begins to thicken, about 3 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the Parmesan. Continue to whisk for 2 more minutes. Add frozen peas and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain the cooked pasta and return it to the pot, reserving 1/2 a cup of the pasta water. Add the cream sauce to the pasta and toss to coat it evenly. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta water as needed.
- Plate the pasta and sprinkle with fresh basil and extra Parmesan cheese before serving.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
