Tagliatelle with Pea Pesto and Creme Fraiche

a white speckled ceramic bowl filled with bright green pea pesto pasta and a dollop of creme fraiche drizzled with olive oil.

5 from 3 votes

Tagliatelle with Pea Pesto and Creme Fraiche

Tagliatelle pasta with lemony pea pesto, mint, and crème fraîche is the perfect recipe to keep in your back pocket for weeknight dinners. This simple spring pasta delivers big, bright flavors and provides a perfect excuse to use up that bag of frozen peas in your freezer.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 816kcal

Author: Leigh Anderson

Ingredients

1 lb tagliatelle pasta or any pasta shape, really
2 c frozen peas
3/4 c loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
1/3 c olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 c creme fraiche
salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop the frozen peas into the water for 30 seconds, then use a slotted spoon to scoop them out. Transfer the peas to a bowl, and set aside. Bring the water back up to a boil and add in the tagliatelle, cook until just al dente, 8 to 9 minutes. Reserve 1/2c of pasta water before draining.
In the meantime, in a food processor or blender, pulse together the peas, olive oil, parmesan, garlic, mint, lemon juice and zest. Continue blending, scraping down sides as needed, until thoroughly but still a little chunky, not uniformly smooth. A little texture is key. Taste and season with pesto with salt and pepper.
In the same pot you cooked the pasta in gently fold the tagliatelle with the pesto and a splash of pasta water over medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the pasta is evenly coated in the sauce, just 3-5 minutes. Don't cook it for too long or the pesto loose it vibrant green color. Divide between plates, top each serving with a dollop of creme fraiche and few turns of coarsely ground black pepper.

Notes

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:

Tagliatelle pasta: pronounced: ta·glee·uh·teh·lee, is a long, flat ribbon shaped pasta–similar to a fettuccini. It's shape is great for holding onto thick hearty sauces. If you can't find tagliatelle, the best substitutes would be either fettuccine or pappardelle, both of which are ribbon pastas.
Frozen Peas: IIf you'd like to substitute fresh peas you absolutely can you will just need to blanch them longer, about 90 seconds, then plunge them into an ice bath. Note: Out of season fresh peas can be pretty bland and lack luster. I highly recommend sticking to frozen if you're outside the months of April-June.
Creme Fraiche: To put it simply, creme fraiche is the French version of sour cream. It's a cream that has been thickened by the growth of bacterial cultures, much like yogurt. Sour Cream is s good substitute for creme fraiche, but you could also use a dollop of ricotta cheese, or even burrata.

Storing and Re-heating Leftovers:

Leftover pasta can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over low heat in a saucepan or in the microwave. Add a few tablespoons of water to loosen up the sauce as needed.

Nutrition