Shells and Peas Alfredo

I got this wonderful recipe from The Smitten Kitchen cookbook, which is a great cookbook with amazing food photography. This dish is so creamy and good! I served it as a side dish with Parmesan Chicken Tenders, but you could easily double this recipe to serve as a main dish. My husband and I really loved this one and my kids of course longed for Pasta Roni (the pull of Parmesan Pasta Roni for my kids is a mystery to me), but I can guarantee you this is so much better than Pasta Roni!

Shells and Peas Alfredo

1/2 lb small shell pasta
1 cup frozen peas, cooked (just microwave for a couple minutes)
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter
fresh ground black pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon freeze-dried parsley (or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain pasta and set aside.

In a large saucepan heat heavy cream. Bring the cream to a simmer and cook until it is slightly reduced, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the butter and stir in until melted. Generously season the sauce with ground black pepper and a pinch of salt. Add 3/4 cup Parmesan and stir until the sauce is smooth. Add drained pasta and cooked peas and toss in sauce to coat. Add reserved pasta water a spoonful at a time until the sauce is the consistency you'd like. Add parsley, stir, and serve.