Cover the baking dish tightly with foil to trap in steam, which helps the shells cook evenly. Place the dish on the middle rack of the preheated oven.
Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the foil (watch for steam) and check the pasta by stirring gently from the bottom. The shells should be mostly tender but may still have a slight bite, and the sauce will look loose at this stage.
Foil lifted from baked pasta revealing steaming shells and bright peas
Foil lifted from baked pasta revealing steaming shells and bright peas
Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 10–15 minutes, stirring once halfway through if you like, until the pasta is fully tender and the sauce has thickened into a creamy coating. The top should have a few golden spots, and the peas will be bright green.
Remove the dish from the oven and let the pasta rest for about 5 minutes. The sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools. If it looks too thick, you can loosen it with a splash of warm broth or hot water and stir gently.
Taste and adjust seasoning with a bit more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with a little extra grated Parmesan before serving, and bring the dish straight to the table so everyone can scoop out their own portion.
Variations & Tips
For a lighter version, you can swap half of the heavy cream for whole milk; the sauce will be a bit thinner but still pleasantly creamy. If you prefer a sharper, more complex flavor, replace part of the Parmesan with Pecorino Romano, reducing added salt to compensate for the extra saltiness of the cheese.
Serving of creamy pea pasta topped with Parmesan in a shallow bowl
Serving of creamy pea pasta topped with Parmesan in a shallow bowl
To add protein directly into the bake, tuck in 1–1 1/2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken or diced cooked ham over the pasta before scattering the peas, keeping the overall liquid amount the same. For a vegetarian boost, stir in a handful of baby spinach or chopped kale during the last 10 minutes of baking so it wilts into the sauce.
You can also add a crunchy topping by sprinkling the surface with a mix of breadcrumbs and a bit of Parmesan during the final 10 minutes of baking. If you like a hint of freshness, finish the dish with a squeeze of lemon juice or a spoonful of lemon zest just before serving to brighten the creamy sauce without changing the core method of scattering frozen peas over raw shells in a ceramic dish and baking everything together.
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