Try this easy, homemade, fresh fagiolini pasta recipe from southern Italy. simply prepared with lemon, peas, and basil. Vegetarian for the win!
Here is a simple lunch recipe with homemade spinach Fagiolini pasta. Fagiolini basically means "beans" in Italian which gives shape and meaning to this pasta because they look like bean pods.
If you have some time this can be a fun shape of pasta to make. This pasta is all semolina southern Italian style, so no eggs. This is a really easy recipe with only a few ingredients and one that I really just made because this is about all I had on a short notice impromptu lunch.
Lemon, basil, peas, pasta, and a little love! That’s what this recipe is all about. If you have any kind of sausage that you want to add to this pasta feel free otherwise this is a perfect vegetarian pasta.
Homemade Fagiolini fresh Pasta
Fagiolini Pasta with Peas, Lemon, and Basil
Here is a simple lunch recipe with homemade spinach Fagiolini pasta. Fagiolini basically means "beans" in Italian which gives shape and meaning to this pasta because they look like bean pods.
If you have some time this can be a fun shape of pasta to make. This pasta is all semolina southern Italian style, so no eggs. This is a really easy recipe with only a few ingredients and one that I really just made because this is about all I had on a short notice impromptu lunch.
Lemon, basil, peas, pasta, and a little love! That’s what this recipe is all about. If you have any kind of sausage that you want to add to this pasta feel free otherwise this is a perfect vegetarian pasta.
Semolina Spinach Pasta
- 2 1/2 cups semolina flour
- 1 cup spinach (cooked, drained of all water, and pureed (2-3 tbsp of puree))
- 3/4-1 cup warm water
- 1 tsp salt
Vegetables
- 1 cup peas (blanched)
- 1/4 cup basil (leaves)
- 1 whole lemon
- 1 stick butter
- 3 oz parmesan (cheese )
- 1/3 cup pasta water
How to make fagiolini Pasta
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Place semolina in a bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour. Add warm water, spinach puree and salt. With a fork stir the mixture until it starts to form a ball of dough.
Then use your hands to form the dough. Add more flour if the dough is too wet. Knead the pasta for 5 minutes and then cover and rest for at least 30 minutes.
Then using a bench scraper or knife cut the dough in half. Then cut on half of the dough into 5 equal slices. Take one of the slices and roll using your hands into a long thin rope until you get about a pencil thickness.
Cut the rope into one inch pieces. Then take each one of those 1 inch pieces and using your three middle fingers indent them in the down rolling it back and then flicking it forward to create a fagiolini or (bean pod).
Continue the process with the remaining half or whole pasta dough. Then place on a sheet pan lined with parchment and extra semolina flour. You can allow them to sit out and dry.
To finish
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Have a pot of salted water on high heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling add the fagiolini to the water and cook for about 5-7 minutes until they start to float and are tender.
Meanwhile in a saute pan on medium high heat add pasta water and the peas. Then add lemon zest and juice. Strain out the pasta and place in the butter along with the butter.
Turn off the heat, but continue to toss the pasta around so the butter emulsifies to make a nice little sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Then pour out onto the plate. Top with parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!