Creamy Lemon Cavatappi with Pork & Peas
plus Lemony Breadcrumbs
- Wheat
- Milk
Are you a lemon lover? Then this is your dish! You'll toss together springy cavatappi pasta with hearty ground pork and sweet green peas in a creamy sauce brightened with lemon juice and zest. Each plate is showered with buttery, lemony panko breadcrumbs for crunchy contrast.
Ingredients
½ ounce
Vidalia Onion Paste
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
4 ounce
Peas
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Lemon
10 ounce
Ground Pork
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.
Zest and quarter lemon.
Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (1½ cups for 4 servings), then drain.
While pasta cooks, melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium heat. Add panko and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 3-5 minutes.
Turn off heat; transfer to a small bowl. Stir in as much lemon zest as you like. Season with salt and pepper. Wipe out pan.
Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for panko over medium-high heat. Add pork* and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes.
Reduce heat under pan with pork to medium low; stir in peas, Vidalia onion paste, cream sauce base, and ¼ cup pasta cooking water (½ cup for 4 servings). (TIP: If pasta isn't finished cooking yet, ladle pasta cooking water straight from the pot.) Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened, 1-2 minutes.
Turn off heat; stir in drained cavatappi and juice from one lemon wedge (two wedges for 4) (if needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until everything is coated in a creamy sauce). Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add another squeeze of lemon juice if desired.
Divide pasta between shallow bowls. Top with lemony breadcrumbs and serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the bright, lemony taste; some found it bland and added cheese or hot sauce for extra zing 🍋
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to make, with several mentioning it was easier than other HelloFresh meals
- Suggestions: Consider adding more sauce, fresh garlic, or Parmesan cheese for richer flavor; some preferred chicken over pork
- Portions: Generous pasta servings, though a few wanted more peas or sauce to balance the noodles
- Texture: The crispy panko topping was a hit, adding a delightful crunch to the creamy pasta
Reviews from our home cooks
Yummy and creamy-- the cavatappi, sauce, and panko were awesome!! Liked LEAST? The ground pork! In this recipe, the ground pork was bland and its lackluster flavor and odd texture didn't go well with this dish; this dish should have either had chicken or been vegetarian (in which case, add garlic bread or a side salad so that we get our money's worth).
I did not expect this to be one of my new favorites! The combined flavors of the pork, toasted bread crumbs, and lemon tasted like wienerschnitzel. I loved this meal!
Perfectly portioned ingredients, the textures of the ingredients couldn't be better, the sauce was delicious and it was so quick and easy to make. I wish I could have doubled the amount of peas, but that's just me.
The breadcrumbs stayed crispy even after being in the fridge overnight, which was great. The Flavor of the sauce was a little one dimensional but still great.
Fairly easy preparation and cooking, especially in comparison to some other meals I've made, and the flavor is outstanding! Sooo tasty!!
The ratio of pork+peas to noodles seemed way off. We were all left with a pile of pork and peas at the bottom. Also, we all felt like we had to add way more cheese to make it "creamy."
This meal SLAPS. could use more peas - there was like 1/3 cup which was not enough
This was delicious. On par with going to a restaurant. Easy to make. Crowd pleaser.
I could eat this yummy food every week! The lemony panko absolutely MADE this dish.
It was a great combination but could have used a little more cream sauce. Adding more pasta water made it too thin
