Creamy Garlic Pasta

To me, there's hardly a more perfect spring meal than a simple dish of pasta tossed with a spring vegetable and lots of garlic.

This week's CSA box...

...and lots of garlic.

 

With all the glorious choices for healthful whole grain pastas now so readily available, the days of pasta as an "indulgent" food are distant history. Even if a pseudo-cream sauce might taste indulgent... For years I've been employing low-fat evaporated milk as an excellent substitute for cream, but while adapting a recipe from SkinnyTaste I discovered yet another method for making a light yet creamy sauce - using a beaten egg! And no, lest you begin to leap up in protest, I'm not talking about a bacon laden, many-egg laden, cream dripping carbonara pasta, or a raw egg, simply an egg beaten into a simple sauce that slowly and safely cooks with your pasta until you have a pasta sauce just as thick and creamy as you could ever wish.

By the way, this pasta is insanely garlicky. Please by all means jump in and add the full amount of garlic... but only if you are mad garlic fans like we are. I would advise against fixing this dish for lunch right before a job interview, or for dinner right before a first date. Unless you are purposely testing the waters for a fellow garlic loving soul-mate... Or unless you intend to feed your future boss/spouse a plateful of this pasta as well, in which case prepare yourself for job offers and marriage proposals aplenty.

Creamy Garlic Pasta

 (Adapted from a SkinnyTaste Recipe)

1 lb green peas, fresh or frozen
6 oz whole wheat pasta
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
10 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large egg
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

~ Steam or boil the peas, and cook the pasta according to package directions reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.
~ In a sauté pan heat the olive oil, add the garlic, and cook until golden, stirring frequently.
~ Add the peas, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté about 1-2 minutes.
~ In a small bowl, combine the egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid, and salt and pepper to taste.
~ After the pasta is drained, return to the pot and mix with the egg mixture. Cook on medium-low for about 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens and sticks to the pasta. Toss in the peas, and mix well. If the pasta seems too dry, add more reserved liquid a tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve warm!