This light orecchiette pasta is the perfect quick + easy meal to whip up on a weeknight.

I am always searching for new go-to recipes, and usually pasta is always a win. What I love about this orecchiette pasta dish is that is doesn’t need any kind of heavy sauce to make it delicious.

It’s also a plus that I can sneak green peas into it, because with three kids it can be hard to get veggies in every meal.

Orecchiette Pasta with Peas & Parmesan

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Description

This light orecchiette pasta is the perfect quick + easy meal to whip up on a weeknight.

Ingredients

Scale

1 pack Orecchiette Pasta
6 oz green peas
1/2 cup grated or shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for topping

For the sauce:

3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp garlic
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp flour (if needed for thickening)
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

Boil large pot of salted water and cook pasta until al dente, drain and set aside.
In medium pot, boil peas until tender. Remove from pot and set aside.
In the same pot, simmer garlic and 1 tbsp butter for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Add in remaining butter and heavy whipping cream until they are mixed. Here, you can add in flour or cheese to thicken the sauce to your preference.
Combine noodles, peas and sauce.
Finish with salt, pepper and a hearty sprinkling of parmesan on top. Enjoy!

I don’t usually include a protein here, but this pasta would work great with a shrimp or grilled chicken as a protein option.

Setting The Table For Family Dinner

While I can’t make a beautiful tablescape every night, I always try to just use a base layers of linens to make every meal more special. I keep a stack of napkins folded by the table, and that makes it easy and accessible. I also recently stocked my drawer with a vintage silverware collection, and each piece adds instant charm to the table.

You can check out our guide to family dinner recipes here.