Tagliatelle with Ricotta, Peas, and Tarragon

Tagliatelle with Ricotta, Peas and Tarragon

This easy to make pasta dish is light and bright and popping with the most delicious spring flavors. It's a great weeknight meal to quickly whip up or take it to the next level with some of our homemade gluten-free Tagliatelle too!

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Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
• 1 large shallot minced
• 1 cup peas
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves minced
• 8 ounces tagliatelle pasta see our recipe for homemade Gluten Free Pasta
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta
• 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lemon quartered

Instructions

 

• Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain (reserving 1 cup of the cooking water) and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, peas, and tarragon and cook until the shallots are becoming translucent and the peas are bright. About 3 minutes.
• Turn down heat to medium-low. Add ricotta, parmesan, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Mix well. Stir in noodles Cook for one minute and add more pasta water (if necessary) to bring sauce to desired thickness.
• Divide pasta into 4 bowls, top with parmesan shavings, tarragon, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Notes

** To make this dish a little heartier, I love to add in some sliced up chicken sausage (Adele's Chicken Apple is my go to) when I am sautéing the peas!

~Amanda~

Times are a little weird right now, to say the least, and with our ‘Stay At Home’ order officially in place in the state of Colorado, we’ve got more than enough time on our hands to do a little extra cooking and baking! One thing that I am always wanting to improve upon is my homemade gluten-free pasta recipe so I’ll definitely be practicing that (see my recipe here) – there’s nothing quite like a homemade tagliatelle pasta! And when I’m done making all that delicious pasta, I love to use it in a dish that really makes it stand out and this Tagliatelle with Ricotta, Peas and Tarragon is that absolute best. I found the original recipe in one of my Women’s Health magazines years ago and love the bright, fresh Spring flavors this time of year when the weather is warming up. Obviously, homemade pasta is an awesome addition to the dish, but honestly that’s not going to be a reality most of the time so definitely use some good store-bought pasta instead – I have tried it with many kinds and it always tastes amazing. 

Growing up, I was never really a fan of peas. I have a memory of my mom once making some sort of creamy peas on toast and I thought it was the worst thing I ever had (and I think she agrees…who knows why she ever made it!). And even now that I’m older, I wouldn’t say I necessarily love peas, but I’m always up for trying new recipes and preparations of foods so I gave this one a shot. As it happened, I loved them in this dish. They added the perfect pop of flavor; they were sweet but not too strong in flavor and perfectly complemented the other ingredients. Peas are also so incredibly good for you too – they are very low in fat and high in the important things like protein, fiber, and macronutrients. They are also great because they have anti-aging qualities, help increase energy, and promote a strong immune system. Definitely some great benefits to eating them – especially now when we’re all doing everything we can to stay healthy!

The other ingredients in this dish really add a bunch of great flavor as well. The shallots add such a great and mild onion-y flavor, the tarragon has a slightly bittersweet flavor that is somewhat similar to anise, and of course the cheeses make the dish thick and creamy. A low-fat ricotta keeps the dish on the healthier side, while a small amount of parmesan cheese packs so much cheesy, salty flavor that I love. The preparation is simple; make your pasta, sauté the shallots, peas, and tarragon, then add the cheeses and pasta and serve! So easy. I had an extra lemon lying around the kitchen and squeezed some fresh juice on top of the pasta and found that it added a brightness to the dish and enhanced all of the other flavors too. So if you’re looking for a good, healthy (only 340 calories per serving), and simple meal, definitely try this one. I think you’ll be surprised by how much you love it!