Smashed Spring Pea, Burrata & Lemon Pasta
With spring (almost) officially here, we're keeping a spring in our step with something green, bright and ridiculously easy for this week's pasta.
Sweet peas are smashed with parmesan, lemon and olive oil, tossed through pasta and finished with creamy burrata and plenty of fresh herbs.
Simple, fresh and exactly what we want to eat as the days start getting longer.
The recipe
Smashed Spring Pea, Burrata & Lemon Pasta
- Serves
- 4
- Time
- ~20 mins
Ingredients
- 280g peas, fresh or frozen
- 75g sugar snap peas, thinly sliced
- 280g short pasta
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 35g finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
- 30ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 170g burrata
- Small handful fresh basil, mint and dill
Method
- Blanch the peas: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Add the peas and cook for around 2 minutes, until bright green and just tender. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and immediately cool under cold running water. Keep the water boiling for your pasta.
- Cook the pasta: Add the pasta to the same pot and cook until al dente according to the packet instructions. Before draining, reserve a good cup of the pasta water.
- Smash the peas: While the pasta cooks, place half the peas in a large bowl and roughly smash with a fork. Add the garlic, parmesan, olive oil, lemon zest and juice and chilli flakes. Season generously with salt and pepper, then fold through the remaining whole peas and sliced sugar snaps.
- Bring it together: Add the hot drained pasta to the peas and toss well, adding a splash of reserved pasta water as needed until everything becomes glossy and coats the pasta. Tear half the burrata through the pasta and toss gently. You want some of it to melt into the sauce while leaving a few creamy pockets. Spoon into bowls, tear over the remaining burrata, and finish with fresh herbs, extra parmesan, cracked pepper, and a good drizzle of olive oil.
- A little Earl tip: There's something pretty special about eating with the seasons, and this is one to save for when fresh peas start appearing. Frozen peas will absolutely do the job, but when you can get your hands on beautiful fresh spring peas, use them. They're sweeter, brighter, and turn something this simple into something seriously good.
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