Creamy Pasta With Smoked Bacon and Peas
Updated May 2, 2024
- Total Time
- About 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Sea salt
- 10slices smoked bacon or pancetta
- 1pound dried mini-shell or other small pasta
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1tablespoon butter
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2cups frozen peas
- 2tablespoons crème fraîche or heavy cream
- 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 6ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
675 calories; 34 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 749 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of lightly salted to a boil. Meanwhile, cut sliced bacon crosswise into thin slivers, or slice pancetta into julienne. Add pasta to boiling water and cook to taste.
- Step 2
While pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter. Add bacon or pancetta and a sprinkling of pepper, and fry until golden and crisp. Immediately add frozen peas and stir for a minute or two. Add crème fraîche or heavy cream and chopped mint.
- Step 3
Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and drain the pasta. Add pasta to the skillet and stir. Add lemon juice, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat. The mixture should be thick; if desired, a splash of the pasta water may be added to the sauce to thin it slightly. Add Parmesan and stir to mix. If desired, serve with a green salad.
Private Notes
Comments
Please guys when a recipe says bacon think pork flavoring meat in any form you like. Ham bacon pancetta prosciutto hocks. Chorizo? Yes. Hot dried salami? Yes. Work it how you like it. This is fifty dishes not one. Frozen peas I dump in a strainer and drain the pasta over. You do it your way. Mint and peas love each other. Crema cream creme fraische sour cream yogurt you pick. Orecchiette or shells nice. Mezze rigatoni sure. Spaghetti? If that's what you got? Sure.
Here's a secret(?) about peas. You don't really need to cook them. They are their most delicate and delicious when they are just heated through. I always add them to any hot dish at the very last minute and keep them on the heat only long enough to thaw them heat through. If you can get the knack of this, it will change the way you think about peas. They pop in your mouth with flavor and texture and have no hint of the pastiness that peas get when cooked too long.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I didn't change a thing - made just as is.
*Don't fret over things like 'is the bacon thin or thick sliced'. If you do, you'll never be a great cook. An okay cook, maybe, but not a great cook. Cooking is a creative process, not a precision exercise.
This is great. I am usually a MAW recipe follower but I did this as MWWWA (made with what was available). I won’t even give the details as it doesn’t matter. A great household recipe.
In Step 3. Use a meaningful amount of ground pepper. More than you think you should.
I only made a small portion of the recipe for a solo dinner, so just used the fat from the rendered bacon instead of adding olive oil and butter. It was tasty but not particularly creamy. I even added a splash more cream and some pasta water and while tasty, was disappointed by the lack of creaminess
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