Bacon and Pea Pasta is my go-to meal when I’m in a hurry! Quick and tasty with minimal ingredients, this is the dream on a busy weeknight.
Bacon and Peas
I love using bacon as a quick and tasty way to add tons of flavour to a dish without using excess meat. It goes so well with peas too – salty, crispy bacon and sweet, juicy peas are a match made in heaven. The silky, cheesy sauce is so simple but brings this whole dish together.
Quick and Easy Pasta
This is one of those amazing dishes that is basically ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta. With some minimal prep time, including boiling some water and chopping some bacon, you can have this dish on the table within 15 minutes. Perfect for a busy weeknight or those days when you get home from work and just cannot be bothered!
Staple Ingredients
If there are 4 things you can rely on me to have to hand at any time, then dried pasta, frozen peas, a block of parmesan and some streaky bacon are guarantees. I have also made this dish with edamame beans in place of peas (I also always keep a bag of these in the freezer). And you can substitute the bacon for some chopped leftover cooked ham too.
I like to use salty parmesan or pecorino cheese for this pasta dish, but any cheese which melts well will work. I have used Swiss cheese to great effect, and cheddar or grated mozzarella would also work.
Pasta shells (Conchiglie) are my favourite shape for this Bacon and Pea Pasta – they hold the sauce perfectly so you get delicious pools of buttery goodness in each bite. You can use your favourite shapes though – almost any pasta shape will work for this dish, including spaghetti.
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do! Please leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @carrieskitchen_ if you make it!
More quick & easy pasta recipes:
- Pasta Primavera with Peas and Asparagus
- Quick Cherry Tomato Pasta
- Chilli Prawn Linguine
- Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Carbonara
Bacon and Pea Pasta
Ingredients
- 200 grams Conchiglie or your favourite pasta shapes
- 6 slices streaky bacon cut into bite sized pieces
- 100 grams frozen peas
- 50 grams grated parmesan cheese plus extra to serve
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta to packet instructions. Add the frozen peas for the last 2 minutes of cooking.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until crispy then turn the heat to the lowest setting.
- Drain the pasta and peas, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Add the peas and pasta to the pan with the bacon and toss. Stir in the cheese with 2-3 tablespoons of pasta water and stir until combined. Stir in more pasta water until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with extra grated cheese to serve.
Nutrition
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