Name: Grandma's Conchiglie and Piselli Italian Zuppa Recipe
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 12 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Place the 3 ingredients below in a food processor (they didn't have them back then so everything was chopped fine by hand); 3 cloves of cleaned garlic; 1/2 cup fresh celery leaves; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; Puree till a fine mixture.; Saute:; In a large deep saucepan, add the oil mixture on low heat, saute for 1 minute, next add:; 2 (14 to 15 oz size) cans of peas, saute peas till starting to brown.; Add:; 1/2 teaspoon each fresh if possible but dried is fine, parsley, basil, garlic powder, oregano; 1 small can of tomato paste then fill the can with white wine to stir out the leftover paste; 1 can of chicken broth; 1 cup water; 2 cups of fresh chopped whole tomatoes or fresh plum tomatoes pureed in a food processor; Cook until sauce thickens around 1 hour on a low simmer.; Baby shell pasta:; Add a 1 lb box of baby shell pasta to a pot of salted boiling water and drained.; Note: we like it with a little bite called Al dente make it how you prefer your pasta cooked.

This is Italian Style Peas and Baby Shell Pasta, growing up Grandma made this often, and we loved it.

Back in Rome, Italy where she grew up, she said this was referred to as "depression day food".A meal that fed a lot of family and friends cheaply and today it's to be a rare find on any menu but still cheap to make.

This meal continues to adorn our tables no matter what time period was in as long as I am alive.

I will always remember the aroma of that garlic sauteed in oil coming home from school.

Grandma lived with us, she made everything taste like it was a banquet feast.

Her simple economical and easy-to-make peas and pasta is a divine meal and no back seat to a fantastic one of her home-cooked meals.

Perfect to warm you up in those Central N.Y. chilly snow months, back in Utica, New York, her memory will live on in our kitchens.

Thanks, Grandma Victoria we love this one and miss your special love that went into every pot!

Although everything she made was awesome, made from scratch this is a favorite when you love pasta and peas, together it's music to our ears in flavor.

Easy to Make Step by Step

chop the vegetables fine
saute in oil
add the tomatoes and peas and all sauce ingredients
simmer
cook the pasta separate
add the drained pasta to the sauce
serve with grated cheese and basil on top (red hot pepper flakes if you like also)

Some of Our Other Recipes To Try

Eggplant Parmesan

Zucchini Rollatini

Eggplant Boats

Pasta Primevara Sauce

Bolognese Sauce

Scampi or Alfredo Sauce

Grandma's Said This is How We Made This in the Old Country

Grandma always said this is the way we did it in the old country meaning Rome, Italy.

Very simply made all in one pot, pasta, peas, lots of flavor, and lots of Tuscan Garlic Bread were served with any meal.

We love this meal and if you don't care for peas use another bean!

Trying to write a recipe step by step by just watching at 11 years old was not easy, but here after all these years later we got this right and Grandma's simple recipe.