Peas are definitely a vegetable that I did not enjoy until my adult years. Late adult years. Really late adult years. But now I love them; their small delicate size, their wonderful bright color, their sweetness. I find myself altering a lot of dishes, just by adding some peas.
Then there’s bacon. Good lordy, bacon. Just the smell can make me weak in the knees.
Combine those two ingredients with some cream, shallot, and pasta, and you’ve got my attention! Spotted this dish from Everyday Food and adapted it just slightly. The flavor is fantastic, with depth and texture…and it’s on your table in less than 30 minutes.
Easy+quick+yummy = to be repeated.
Creamy Pasta with Bacon and Peas
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup pre-cooked bacon pieces, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon butter
• salt and ground pepper
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 box spaghetti
Directions
Set a large pot of salted water to boil.
In a large pan, heat butter over medium heat; add shallots, stir occasionally until they begin to soften, 1-2 minutes. Add bacon and saute for a minute. Add peas and half-and-half. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
In the meantime, cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to combine, adding some reserved pasta water, a little at a time to coat. Sprinkle with a few more bacon pieces and serve.
Print this recipe (slightly adapted from Everyday Food)
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
What a terrific pasta meal. I love the bacon – pea combination. This is “comfort food” at its very best. Definitely going to make this over the weekend. Many thanks…
I used to not be such a pea fan either but now I love them. They add a little sweetness to everything. And when you add bacon and cream…can’t go wrong. What a great pasta dish Amy!
This sounds delicous! Going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Lovely combination and I’m with you…bright green peas add such fun to a dish. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights. Hope you plan on coming back often.
Tracy – this sauce would taste great with any pasta, but I would suggest sticking with something that has ridges, so the cream can adhere to it better. Try it and report back!
Looks really good. Wondering if any pasta would work here, if you need a long noodle like you used?
This dish would be a clear winner with my family. Will need to put on the to do list.
This is a great pasta dish! Nice and quick and easy and full of flavour! Thanks fro sharing with Presto Pasta Nights!
Yes, I echo Cheryl’s comment. Pasta is always my go to meal when I haven’t planned anything. And I usually have all these ingredients in the house. Excellent!
Yum, Amy. Always looking for simple and yummy pasta dishes.
I prefer a creamy sauce, to a red sauce. And I LOVE peas and bacon too, so I need to make this