Bacon Pea Pasta

4.98 from 35

This Bacon Pea Pasta is an easy dinner made in less than 30 minutes with tender pasta, crispy bacon, sweet peas, and a creamy Parmesan sauce. It's a simple, family-friendly comfort food recipe perfect for busy weeknights.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy dinners, easy pasta recipes

Servings: servings

Ingredients

12 oz. dried ditalini pasta
1 tbsp unsalted butter
6 oz. diced bacon
2 shallots minced
¾ cup frozen peas thawed
1 cup half-and-half
salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving

Instructions

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions.
In the meantime, in a large pan, heat butter over medium heat; add bacon and saute for 5 minutes until almost crispy. Add shallots, stir occasionally until they begin to soften, 1-2 minutes. Add peas and half-and-half. Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer gently until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup of the water. Add pasta to the sauce; toss to combine, adding a little bit of the reserved pasta water at a time, only if necessary to create a silky sauce.
Gradually stir in the Parmesan until melted.
Serve in individual bowls and sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan on top.

Video

Notes

Salt the pasta water generously for the best overall flavor.
Reserve the pasta water before draining. Use it to loosen the sauce and create a silky texture if needed.
Cook the pasta just to al dente since it will continue to absorb some sauce after it's added to the skillet.
Freshly grated Parmesan melts much more smoothly than pre-shredded cheese.
Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer and avoid boiling to prevent the cream from separating.
Add the bacon near the end of cooking to maintain its crispy texture.
Half-n-half is simply equal parts whole milk and heavy cream.

Nutrition