Guys. I am obsessed with pea shoots. I can’t stop growing them. I can’t stop eating them. Not only do I love cooking with them like in this pasta dish or stir fries, but I can’t stop snacking on them! I’ll just cut up a bunch of them and snack on them (nothing else!)! During the cold months I crave fresh sugar snap peas, so these pea shoots make this girl very happy! What do pea shoots taste like? That’s simple. They taste just like peas. Fresh, crunchy peas! If you love sugar snap peas, you’ll love these! Trust me! I would never lie to you about my beloved peas.
Where to buy pea shoots?
Well the easiest way to get pea shoots is to grow your own! You can do this both indoors and in your garden. During the Winter months I have a constant tray of pea shoots growing in our apartment to use on a weekly basis! Growing them indoors is easy, I promise I’ll do a post about it soon! If gardening isn’t your think (gasp), you can find them at a farmers market during Spring, Summer and Fall. Lots of grocery stores also carry them, they’re usually near the salad mixes or in the organic section. Just a warning though, grocery stores are usually much more expensive than a farmers market so try your fresh market first!
Pea Shoot Recipe Uses
You can do so much with pea shoots! Add them to pasta (like this recipe!), cook them in a stir fry (I’ll share my favorite recipe soon), add them to soups, throw them in every kind of salad, put on your sandwich. Heck, put them in a bowl, sit down on the couch and have yourself a crunchy snack! Want to know how good these are? My 2 year old snacks on them with me. Yeah, so you know if my kid is nibbling on a leafy green they’re delicious!
Look at the Nutrition Value!
Pea shoots are a heavy hitter with nutrition and provide many health benefits. They have 38 minerals in them, including Vitamins A, B, C, E and K! They also contain many nutrients that help keep blood sugar levels low, so many people with diabetes try to add these to their diet.
How to Cook Pea Shoots Pasta
Cook your pasta according to box instructions. Set pasta aside. I recommend using farfalle pasta (we call them bow ties in our house), but honestly you can use whatever pasta you have in your pantry.
Bring 2 cups of broth to a boil in a medium pot, add frozen peas and cook for 4 minutes. With 2 minutes remaining, add pea shoots. I like cooking my peas in vegetable broth, but you can also use chicken broth.
IMPORTANT! Drain peas and pea shoots from broth, but save 1/2 cup of broth and set aside.
Place pea shoots on a cutting board and chop them up. I like to do them all at once with a sharp knife, giving them 3-4 chops.
Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat, adding minced garlic and scallions and cooking until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add peas and pea shoots, stir and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add remaining broth to pea shoots mixture.
Add cooked pasta, parmesan cheese and lemon juice to skillet, stirring to completely mix and coat all the ingredients with parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add finely chopped fresh mint on top, serve on plates. Not only is this dish beautiful, but it tastes so good too!
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do! Enjoy!
