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- 20 mins
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Penne Pasta, Peas and Bacon
- 20 mins total
- 5 mins prep
- 15 mins cook
- serves 4
Penne pasta, peas, and bacon.Skip To The Recipe
When talking about comfort food, pasta dishes are way up there on the list of food that is not only easy to prepare but everyone enjoys and craves.
This quick, easy pasta dish takes as long as it takes to cook the pasta itself. It is a savory combination of sweet green peas with crisp onions and bacon.
The heavy cream binds it all together, blending the flavors well. A wonderful savory dish that is perfect for any night of the week or a gathering with friends.
Last-minute dinner? This pasta recipe is your dish and will soon be your go-to dish.
Substitutions and some extra notes
For heavy cream substitutes, mix some cream cheese with whole milk. The heavy cream acts as a binding agent with the richness of the bacon and peas.
Thus it would be best if you had some robust substitute.
Meatless dinner?
Omit the bacon. Use olive oil and or butter to sautee the onions.
Add some sliced mushrooms. Rich and the perfect combination of bacon and heavy cream.
Fresh peas? Yes!! Cook them a little bit longer and make sure they are tender.
Can I use cheese with this dish?
Yes, of course, you can.
- Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino cheese will do wonders, I just happen to choose not to use some. Please add as much as you like.
- If adding cheese add it when the cooked penne is poured over the heavy cream, peas, and bacon mixture.
- Grind a couple of rounds of pepper over the whole dish for a deeper flavor.
Parmigiano Reggiano is my favorite cheese with any Italian dish. But the French side of me, which adores cheese, likes to play havoc, thus adding pecorino and ricotta Salata to this dish.
Feta cheese can also be a good substitution for the ricotta Salata. However, you cannot grate it but need to shave it into small pieces.
When using ricotta Salata, Salata in Italian means salted, do not overseason your dish until the last minute after you taste it.
What is ricotta salata?
Fresh milk flavored with a hint of salt and aged thirty days.
Use sausage meat removed from the casing to replace the bacon.
If you want to add some garlic, go light with them. Too much garlic will change the flavor of
Cooking tips and step by step on how to make this delicious penne pasta dish:
- Have all the ingredients ready before cooking. This dish will be prepared relatively quickly and you do not want to be around the kitchen.
- Use a large skillet for cooking the onions and the bacon. The larger skillet will facilitate when you need to pour the pasta over and mix the sauce with the peas.
- You do want to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water if you want to have them creamier and do not want to add more heavy cream.
- Use the bacon grease as it will give the best flavor to the onions when cooking together.
- I prefer to use yellow onions as they give out a rich flavor. White onions and shallots will work beautifully too.
- Add the frozen peas to the cooking water halfway thru the cooking process of the penne.
- I used penne. However, conchiglie or orecchiette will do, also. You need a tubular or a cup type of pasta, so the sauce gets into the crevices and you enjoy it more.
- Always salt the water to boil your pasta in it. This will give your pasta that wonderful flavor instead of biting into a piece of salt when added after cooking.
- Reserve a cup of the cooking water to use while mixing the pasta and the sauce. The water contains the starch needed to be used with pasta.
- Drain the penne pasta for one to two minutes before they are fully cooked.
Serve it piping hot and immediately.
The longer pasta sits, the softer it gets as the cooking continues.
Serve it in a large pasta bowl, as I have pictured here, or pour it immediately into large pasta bowls.
Let your guests add the amount of cheese they want over it.
As the Italian says: ” Pasta does not wait for you. You wait for it” have your whole family ready to enjoy this excellent savory dish piping hot off the stove.
If you enjoy this Penne Pasta, Peas, and Bacon dish, look at some of my other recipes!
Mascarpone Tortellini
Macaroni and Cheese Stove top
Cacio e Pepe Bucatini
Equipment used to make this dish
Nutrition Facts
Penne Pasta, Peas and Bacon
Amount Per Serving
Calories 570
Calories from Fat 207
% Daily Value*
Fat 23g35%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 42mg14%
Sodium 231mg10%
Potassium 374mg11%
Carbohydrates 70g23%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 17g34%
Vitamin A 495IU10%
Vitamin C 15.5mg19%
Calcium 40mg4%
Iron 1.8mg10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Penne Pasta, Peas and Bacon
- 20 mins total
- 5 mins prep
- 15 mins cook
- serves 4
Ingredients
-
1 tablespoon olive oil
-
1/2 diced very small yellow onion
-
1 cup frozen peas
-
6 thick slices cut into small slices bacon
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3/4 pound penne pasta
-
1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Halfway thru cooking the pasta, refer to package cooking instructions, add the frozen peas to the water.
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Meanwhile, in a large skillet, add the olive oil over medium-high, and add the finely diced onions and the bacon. Cook until the bacon and onions are crisp but not burned.
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Drain the pasta and peas and add them to the onion bacon mixture. Lower the heat to medium and add the heavy cream.
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Stir well, add more cream if needed and serve immediately.
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This pasta dish looks so refreshing. Bacon in anything tastes great, so I cannot imagine this dish tasting anything but excellent.
Thank you, I could not agree more, bacon makes everything taste great
I used your suggestion and substituted Italian sausage (out of the casing), super easy and delicious meal.
I am so happy you did and enjoy it.
Thank you for stopping by my small corner of the web.
What a delicious pasta dish! I love the simplicity. Perfect for a busy weeknight meal!
Thank you Cindy! yes, quite simple and delicious.
Such a simple yet delicious dish! This would make for a great dinner
Absolutely! Thank you for stopping by my corner of the web.
my go to weeknight meal – i love the added peas to sneak it in for the kiddos
I had to sneak in peas to the food for almost 12 years. Enjoy!
A classic weeknight meal, so delicious and always a hit with kids!
Thank you!
Yum! We all loved this on our weekly pasta night, will definitely make again
Thank you for your feedback and so happy everyone enjoyed it.
You had me at the ingredient combo, but then only 20 minutes!? Absolutely delish! My kid prefers pastas with red sauce, but I think he may be a convert now. 🙂
They must give it a try, I am confident that they will like it.
Enjoy!
Who would not love making such an easy and yum pasta recipe? It is on my hit list now!!
Thank you and enjoy it.
A great dish for any night of the week. So simple yet so tasty.
Thank you! Super simple and easy.
I use mushroom and turned out great with this penne pasta.
A wonderful addition to this dish. I am so happy you enjoyed it.
This recipe is so creamy!!! The flavor is spot on and it’s easy to make!
Thank you! So happy you enjoyed it
Simple, delicious and very kid-friendly recipe! Loved your pasta with bacon and peas! Must try your other recipes as well…
Thank you and so happy you like it.
Bon Appetit!
My hubby walked by as I was reading your post and requested this for dinner. The whole family enjoyed it and the kids asked if I could add this to our meal plan every month. Thanks for such a delicious recipe!
The pleasure is all mine and I am grateful all of you enjoyed it.
Thank you for your feedback.
xoxo
This looks so delicious and perfect in its simplicity. I love all the variation ideas you provide!
Thank you. Enjoy it!
i’m always done for adding more veggies into my pasta dish. this one was creamy and flavourful
Thank you, Nancy, for your feedback.
Yum! This was the perfect weeknight dinner!
Yum such a good combo!
Loved this quick pasta dish!
So simple and delicious! My family is already asking me to make this pasta dish again! Thanks for the recipe
Looks so good!!
Bacon and peas are always a great combo in pasta. We did add some parm on top and it just took it to another level. We all loved it. So tasty.
Such a tasty dish and so easy too! You had me at peas and bacon.
Delicious recipe!
Thank you.