If you’re looking for a fast, flavor packed summer pasta that celebrates the season’s freshest produce, this is it. This creamy summer pasta with farmer cheese, peas and lima beans is an herbaceous, lemony dream: sweet peas and lima beans are blended into a rich green sauce with farmer cheese, garlic, fresh basil and parsley.

Tossed with hot pasta, it’s a colorful, no-fuss meal perfect for any warm evening.Farmer cheese is the ideal high protein snack that can go sweet or savory; it is also gentle on lactose sensitive stomachs.

Go all the way savory with this one and add in some big punches of green goodness with peas and lima beans.

A great collaboration of summer produce with our family’s go to farmer cheese from Lifeway. Warm pasta tossed with farmer cheese is a classic standby meal for all Eastern European summer meals. This one takes it a step further with LOADS OF SUMMER FLAVOR!

You can opt out of the lima beans but they add a nice buttery flavor and added fiber. There’s a good amount of garlic that gets mellowed out after a quick blanching with the peas and lima beans. Don’t throw out that water, cook the pasta right in there, save yourself the dishes and headache. Plus the water gets all that good garlic flavor into the pasta as well.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Fresh & vibrant :The sauce is a pastel green blend of summer herbs and veggies

Creamy without cream ; Farmer cheese + parmesan bring body and richness, probiotics and naturally virtually lactose free.

Bright & garlicky: Lemon zest and blanched garlic add just the right lift.

One-pot friendly: Boil veggies and pasta in the same water to save time and dishes

30-minute dinner : Fast, simple, and totally satisfying

Ingredients

¼ cup peas (fresh or frozen)

¼ cup lima beans (fresh or frozen)4 cloves garlic, peeled

8 oz pasta farfalle (short pasta like shells, orecchiette, or penne is ideal)

1 cup farmer cheese

¼ cup grated parmesan

Zest of ½ lemon

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Olive oil, for drizzling

Flaky sea salt or finishing salt, to serve

Salt & pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Blanch Vegetables & Garlic
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peas, lima beans, and garlic, and blanch for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are tender and vibrant. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a food processor or blender.
3. Cook Pasta In the same pot of water, cook the pasta until al dente.
4. Make the Creamy Fresh Farmer Cheese Sauce In your food processor or in a large bowl with a hand blender, pulse the blanched peas, lima beans, and garlic, farmer cheese, parmesan, lemon zest, basil, and parsley.
5. Blend until combined. The mixture will have some texture to it, it will not be smooth.
6. Combine and Toss. Return the hot, drained pasta to the pot or a large bowl. Spoon in the cheesy herby farmer cheese sauce and toss until the pasta is fully coated.
7. Add a few swirls of olive oil and adjust with more pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
8. Finish and Serve Taste and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve warm with a sprinkle of flaky salt, extra herbs, a scattering of whole peas and lima beans and parmesan if desired.

Recipe Tips:

Blend while warm: Blending the vegetables and garlic while still warm helps create a smoother, more integrated sauce. Adding the blended farmer cheese mixture to warm pasta helps it coat all the ridges of the farfalle.

Customize it: Add zucchini ribbons, toasted pine nuts, or swap lima beans for edamame.

Leftovers? This pasta is also delicious cold or at room temperature. Great to keep for a quick high protein bite.

This bright summer forward green pasta is simplicity at its finest. A handful of seasonal ingredients, one pot of boiling water, and a blender are all it takes to whip up a restaurant-quality meal in under 30 minutes. The blend of farmer cheese, lemon, and garden herbs turns pantry staples into something special, comforting, beautiful, and packed with flavor.