Pea Shoot & Lemon Butter Pasta
Sweet pea shoots folded in off the heat, so they keep their snap against the lemon instead of collapsing into it.
- Prep
- 8 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Finish with
- Pea
Most greens go into pasta too early and turn to string. Pea shoots go in after the pan leaves the burner.
The residual heat is enough to soften them without cooking out the sweetness.
Pea Shoot & Lemon Butter Pasta
Serves 4 · 20 minutes · Mains
Ingredients
- 12 oz — long pasta (linguine or spaghetti)
- 4 tbsp — unsalted butter
- 1 — lemon, zested and juiced
- 3 oz — pea shoots
- ½ cup — grated parmesan, plus more to serve
- 2 cloves — garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp — kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta
Boil in well-salted water until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Build the sauce
Melt the butter with the garlic over low heat until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes.
- Emulsify
Add the drained pasta, lemon juice, parmesan and ½ cup pasta water. Toss hard until glossy, adding more water as needed.
- Fold in the pea shoots
Take the pan off the heat. Add the pea shoots and lemon zest, and fold twice — no more. Serve immediately.
What the microgreens are doing here.
Sugar, not bitterness
Pea shoots are among the mildest microgreens — they read as sweet, which is why they work in a dish this rich.
Legume-family greens
Pea shoots carry more protein than most leafy greens, useful in a meatless main.
Added last on purpose
Folding them in after the burner protects both texture and the vitamin C.
Variations and pairings
Add something salty
Crisped pancetta or torn anchovy at the garlic stage deepens it considerably.
Keep it vegan
Swap butter for good olive oil and parmesan for toasted breadcrumbs.
More green
Double the pea shoots and treat it as a warm salad with pasta in it.
Add heat
A pinch of chilli flakes with the garlic, or finish with radish microgreens instead.
- Crisp Pinot Grigio
- Garlic bread
- Simple green salad
- Lemon sorbet after
More microgreen recipes
This recipe is only as good as the greens on top.
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