Creamy Asparagus, Pea & Mint Cascatelli Tre Formaggi

Cascatelli with Asparagus, Peas & Mint

Cascatelli’s ruffles hold the cheese sauce and small vegetables. Briefly blanching the asparagus and peas preserves their sweetness and gives the creamy pasta some bite.

Ingredients

• 12 oz Banza x The Sporkful gluten-free chickpea cascatelli
• 1 lb asparagus, woody ends removed, stems cut into 3/4-inch pieces and tips left longer
• 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas or frozen peas
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, roughly torn just before serving
• 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• to taste kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 batch Three-Cheese Cream Sauce, below

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it moderately; the cheese sauce will contribute plenty of salt.
2. Blanch the asparagus until bright green and just tender, about 2–3 minutes. Add the peas for the final 1–2 minutes if fresh, or the final 45–60 seconds if frozen. Lift the vegetables out with a spider, drain well, and spread on a plate.
3. Return the water to a boil and cook the cascatelli according to its package directions, stirring gently and testing early. Stop when tender with a slight bite rather than chalky in the center.
4. Reserve 2 cups of cooking water, then drain the pasta without rinsing. Finish the cheese sauce while the pasta is cooking.
5. Add the hot pasta and vegetables to the sauce off heat. Fold gently, adding reserved cooking water a few tablespoons at a time until the sauce coats the folds generously without pooling thickly.
6. Fold in the lemon zest and half the mint. Taste before adding salt, finish with black pepper, and serve immediately with the remaining mint scattered over the bowls.

Notes

• Chickpea pasta can move quickly from firm to fragile; avoid prolonged simmering once it is dressed.
• If the reserved cooking water is very thick, use hot plain water for the final loosening.

Three-Cheese Cream Sauce

A modest amount of cream supports a smooth emulsion without burying the vegetables. Finely grated cheeses melt with gentle residual heat rather than tightening in a boiling sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 oz Parmesan, finely grated
• 1 oz Pecorino Romano, finely grated
• 2 oz Achadinha Broncha cheese, finely grated
• 1/2–1 cup reserved pasta cooking water, as needed
• to taste freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the ghee in a wide, deep sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent without browning.
2. Add the cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in 1/2 cup hot pasta cooking water.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and let bubbling subside. Add the Broncha, Parmesan, and pecorino in small handfuls, stirring each addition smooth before adding the next.
4. Season with black pepper. Keep the sauce loose and slightly thinner than the desired finished consistency, adding more hot cooking water as needed.
5. Immediately fold in the hot pasta and vegetables as directed above. If necessary, return the pan briefly to the lowest heat while tossing; do not boil.

Notes

• Grate the cheeses yourself; pre-grated cheese can make the sauce grainy.
• If the sauce starts to look oily or tight, remove it from the heat and stir in warm water one tablespoon at a time.
• The sauce should look a little loose in the pan because the pasta continues absorbing liquid.

Overall Timing / Workflow

Having the cheeses grated before cooking lets the pasta go directly from the pot into the finished sauce, avoiding a sticky wait.

Instructions

1. 0:00 — Put the pasta water on to boil. Trim and cut the asparagus, slice the shallot, grate all three cheeses, and zest the lemon.
2. 0:15 — Blanch and lift out the vegetables, then start the cascatelli in the same water.
3. While the pasta cooks, soften the shallot and simmer the cream. Reserve cooking water near the end of the pasta’s cooking time.
4. Finish the sauce off heat just before draining the pasta. Fold everything together, tear in the mint, and serve immediately.

Plating

Warm, shallow bowls keep the sauce fluid and show off the asparagus, peas, and mint.

Instructions

1. Divide the pasta among four warm shallow bowls, distributing the asparagus tips and peas evenly.
2. Spoon over any sauce remaining in the pan. Finish with the reserved torn mint and a light grinding of black pepper.

Leftover Path

Gentle reheating with extra moisture loosens the cheese sauce without further softening the pasta more than necessary.

Instructions

1. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours and use within 3 days.
2. Reheat in a covered pan over low heat with 2–3 tablespoons water per serving, folding gently until steaming hot throughout. Add more water if the sauce remains tight.
3. Finish with fresh mint if available; avoid boiling or vigorous stirring, which can split the sauce and break the pasta.