Gluten Free Lemon Butter Spaghetti with Sugar Snap Peas and Pistachios

This gluten free lemon butter spaghetti is quick, easy, and packed with flavor. Gluten free spaghetti is tossed with a quick lemon butter sauce and blanched sugar snap peas. Pistachios add a nutty crunch while vegan feta adds a savory, tangy flavor. Enjoy this easy gluten free and vegan meal whenever the craving for pasta strikes!

I found myself with some gorgeous locally grown purple sugar snap peas and knew I needed to use them for something special. I decided to blanch them to preserve their amazing color and subtle sweetness then toss them with lemon butter spaghetti. Before enjoying I added a sprinkle of chopped buttery pistachios and some vegan feta I had hanging around in the fridge. The resulting vegan pasta recipe was the epitome of springtime comfort food! Plus, it’s both gluten free and vegan thanks to gluten free spaghetti and vegan butter and feta cheese. If that’s not a concern for you, feel free to use regular spaghetti, feta, and butter for an equally delicious spaghetti recipe.

Carby Comfort with Less Than 10 Ingredients

One of the things I love about this simple spaghetti recipe is that it requires less than 10 ingredients! Here’s what you need to whip up a bowl:

• Gluten Free Spaghetti — this forms the base of our bowl of pasta. Feel free to use any brand you like, or use a standard spaghetti if gluten isn’t a dietary concern for you.
• Sugar Snap Peas — you’ll need 2 cups (or 1 standard pint) for the recipe. Make sure you get sugar snap peas, not snow peas! Sugar snap peas are much sweeter and in my opinion, more tasty than snow peas.
• Vegan Butter — I love using the cultured vegan butter block from Miyoko’s for this. It will look like a lot of butter but it’s the base of the sauce so don’t skimp! Not vegan? Use 1 stick of regular unsalted butter.
• Shallot — adds flavor to the lemon butter sauce. Feel free to use 1/4 cup minced sweet or yellow onion in its place.
• Lemon — both the zest and the juice add flavor to the sauce. You’ll need the zest of 1 lemon and 1/4 cup juice which will take 1-2 lemons depending on how large and juicy they are.
• Pistachios — add a nutty and buttery crunch to the finished pasta. I prefer using raw pistachios here but feel free to use roasted pistachios instead.
• Vegan Feta Cheese — sprinkling a little of this on top of the pasta adds a lovely salt tang. You can use vegan parmesan instead, or, use regular feta or parmesan if you prefer.
• Sea Salt — seasons everything and rounds out all of the flavors.

Notes on Lemon Juice — the acidity of the lemon juice will turn the snap peas a different color over time so don’t be alarmed! It turned the purple snap peas I used a pinkish color around the edges and it will turn green snap peas a brownish color.

How to Make Lemon Butter Spaghetti with Sugar Snap Peas

Bring a large pot of water to boil. You’ll use it for both the spaghetti and the sugar snap peas. While the water comes to boil, remove the stem end of the sugar snap peas if it is still attached, then cut each into 2 or 3 bite-sized pieces. Once the water is boiling, add a large pinch of salt and the snap peas. Cook them for 1 minute, then use a skimmer to remove them and place them in a strainer to cool. Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the package instructions.

While the pasta boils, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a skillet, then add the minced shallot and cook it for a few minutes. Next comes the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. You’ll keep the sauce in the skillet to keep it warm until the spaghetti is ready. Once the spaghetti is done, you’ll add it to the sauce along with the blanched sugar snap peas. Toss to combine. Plate up the pasta and garnish with the pistachios and vegan feta.

Adapting with Seasonally Available Produce

This dish is a perfect example of the joy of eating seasonally as it was entirely inspired by the locally grown purple snap peas. While you can make this dish with standard green sugar snap peas, you can also substitute the following springtime veggies:

• Shelled Peas — these will yield the most similar flavor due to their sweetness. If you use these in place of the sugar snap peas, use about 1 1/2 cups.
• Asparagus — chopped asparagus would be really lovely here as well! Use 8-10 ounces of asparagus that has been chopped into bite-sized pieces.
• Fennel — add a chopped bulb of fennel to the pan with the shallot and garnish with the fronds.

Did you know that the main different between sugar snap peas and English shelling peas is that the pod of the sugar snap is edible while the pod of the shelling peas is not edible?

Want more spring recipe inspiration? Head here!

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