Must-Make Gluten-Free Pea Pasta Salad Recipe
SERVES 6 This dish is likely to incite a love affair with pasta salad and peas— even if you’re a fan of neither. It’s that good. Don’t be surprised at the thin sauce; it thickens as it cools. To make this gluten free pasta salad also dairy-free, skip the ricotta salata or feta–easy-peasy!
Kosher salt
1 (16-ounce) package gluten-free shells, fusilli, or penne pasta
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (10-ounce) bags frozen or 4 cups fresh green peas
1 cup gluten-free chicken stock
Zest of 1 lemon
1⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 ounces (about 1⁄3 cup) ricotta salata or feta, crumbled (optional)
Handful chopped fresh mint
Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat until boiling. Add the pasta, stir, and cook as directed on the package. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and translucent, about 30 seconds. Add the peas and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes (6 minutes for fresh peas). Reserve 3⁄4 cup peas, then raise the heat on the remaining peas to medium-high. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 2 minutes (4 minutes for fresh peas).
Transfer the pan contents to a food processor or blender. Add the lemon zest, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and blend until very smooth, adding a little pasta water if the sauce is very thick. Toss the pasta with the reserved peas and the pea sauce. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with crumbled cheese and chopped mint, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Want more tasty recipes like this one? Find it and more in the spring 2016 print or digital issue of GFF Magazine!
Recipe Olivia Mack Anderson / Photography Chelsea McNamara / Styling Astrid Chastka
