Fresh Peas, Cherry Tomatoes and the Easiest Italian Pasta | Food That Looks After You

Fresh Peas, Cherry Tomatoes and the Easiest Italian Pasta | Food That Looks After You

Today I am making one of my favourite summer pasta dishes using fresh peas from Julie's vegetable patch, sweet cherry tomatoes and just a handful of everyday ingredients. Ready in around 20 minutes, this simple Italian pasta costs under £2 to feed two people and is another recipe from my Food That Looks After You collection.

This is the sort of seasonal cooking that many Italians grow up with. Fresh peas, picked at their sweetest, are gently cooked with onion, garlic, parsley, tomato purée and cherry tomatoes before being tossed with pasta to create a meal that is light, satisfying and full of Mediterranean flavour.

One of my favourite moments in this video is the time spent in Julie's vegetable patch. Picking fresh peas together brings back wonderful childhood memories, and many of you have told me that these little moments are exactly what you enjoy most about TortellinoTime. They remind us that some of the simplest ingredients often create the most memorable meals.

This recipe also belongs perfectly in the Food That Looks After You collection. Fresh peas provide fibre and plant-based protein, tomatoes bring natural sweetness, olive oil adds healthy Mediterranean fats, and everything comes together using affordable ingredients that many of us already have at home.

In a time when food prices continue to rise, recipes like this remind us that eating well does not have to be expensive. Seasonal ingredients, simple cooking and a little patience can produce a meal that feels generous, comforting and full of flavour.

This is my own version of a classic Italian combination. I like keeping the peas slightly firm so they retain their sweetness, cooking the pasta in plenty of well-salted water before finishing it in the sauce, and adding fresh parsley and a final drizzle of olive oil at the end to brighten every flavour.

Simple ingredients.
Seasonal food.
Mediterranean cooking.
Food that quietly looks after you.
If you make it, I would love to hear how it turned out in your kitchen.

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Ingredients (Serves 2 generously)
200g (7 oz) orecchiette pasta
200g (7 oz) fresh peas (approximately four generous handfuls)
400g (14 oz) cherry tomatoes
1 small white onion
2 cloves garlic
A generous handful of fresh parsley (including the tender stems)
2 tablespoons tomato purée (approximately 30g / 1 oz)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ladles pasta cooking water
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano or vegetarian hard cheese (optional)

Cooking for four people?
Simply double all of the ingredients.

Cooking Method
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil ready for your pasta.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced garlic together with the chopped parsley stems and leaves. Allow everything to gently cook until fragrant without letting the garlic brown.

Add the finely chopped white onion and continue cooking for a few minutes until it begins to soften.

Stir in the tomato purée, making sure it coats the base of the pan evenly before adding the fresh peas.

Pour in two ladles of the pasta cooking water, cover with a lid and gently cook for 3–4 minutes until the peas and onion begin to soften.

Add the cherry tomatoes together with another splash of pasta water, season with salt and black pepper, then continue cooking uncovered while some of the liquid reduces.

Meanwhile cook the orecchiette until just under al dente.

Transfer the pasta directly into the sauce together with a little of the cooking water. Continue cooking for the final minute or two, allowing the pasta to absorb the flavours while releasing its starch to create a beautifully silky sauce.

If needed, add another splash of pasta water until you reach your preferred consistency.

Turn off the heat and stir through the remaining fresh parsley, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and, if you wish, a generous handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano or your favourite vegetarian hard cheese.

Serve immediately.

Chapters
00:00 Picking Fresh Peas with Julie
01:10 Childhood Memories from the Vegetable Patch
01:36 Shelling the Peas Together
03:56 Building the Sauce
05:10 Tomato Purée Tip
05:56 Adding the Fresh Peas
06:43 Cherry Tomatoes Go In
07:36 Cooking the Orecchiette
08:36 Fresh Parsley and Olive Oil
09:48 Taste Test with Julie

#pasta #freshpeas #italianfood