Pasta and Peas with Bacon is a quick and easy last minute dinner recipe the whole family will love. Simply add bacon and peas to pasta for a delicious backup meal.
Pasta and Peas with Bacon For A Last Minute Dinner
We often make Pasta and Peas with Bacon for last minute dinners. It's a quick dinner idea that the entire family loves eating.
This recipe works as a last minute dinner because it comes together super quick. Dinner is done in the time it takes pasta to cook.
In addition, this recipe does not require fresh ingredients with a short shelf life. I can shop for this meal weeks in advance, and keep it stashed for those nights we need a quick dinner recipe. It's definitely in the rotation of our back up meals.
What's a Back Up Meal?
A back up meal is what we eat when we forget to plan ahead, or when we don't have time to make it to the grocery store for fresh ingredients. In other words, a back up meal is an easy recipe that we can throw together last minute to feed the family.
Generally, back up meals use mostly shelf stable ingredients. But the recipes can also contain ingredients that are common to have on hand, and/or ingredients that store well in the refrigerator or freezer.
Pasta and peas with bacon is a favorite back up meal because it's easy to make and uses simple ingredients. Very importantly too, this back up meal is tasty.
Ingredients for Pasta with Bacon and Peas
The recipe for Pasta with Bacon and Peas requires simple ingredients:
- Pasta
- Bacon
- Frozen peas
- Lemon
- Black pepper
- Parmesan cheese (optional, for serving)
All of these ingredients have long shelf lives. As a result, you don't need to plan specifically ahead for this meal.
Bacon
Bacon can live in the back of the fridge for many weeks. You can also can precut bacon into pieces, put the pieces in a ziplock bag, and store it in the freezer.
Use any type of bacon you want for this recipe. Thick cut, center cut, lardons, smoked, or unsmoked all work great.
Peas
I use frozen peas for this recipe because that's what we always have stocked. Add the frozen peas to the pot of boiling pasta just before the pasta is fully cooked. Frozen peas only need a couple of minutes to cook.
If you only have canned peas, that would work too in this recipe. Just mix in the drained canned peas at the very end.
Parmesan
A block of parmesan cheese can live in the fridge for months. Parmesan works best in this recipe, but you can also sub another shredded cheese you might have on hand.
My son is dairy-free, so we sometimes don't even top with parmesan. Still delicious.
Lemon
Don't skip the lemon in this recipe. The lemon really brightens the flavors up.
Lemons can stay fresh for a month in the refrigerator if stored in a zip lock bag. Alternatively, if you don't have a fresh lemon, you can use one of those little shelf stable lemon juice bottles.
Why Add Peas to Pasta
There are so many reasons to add peas to pasta:
- Kids usually like eating them
- They can easily be scooped up in a spoon for young kids to self-feed
- Frozen peas can live in the freezer for a long time
- You can easily cook as many or as few peas as you like from the bag
- It only takes a few minutes for peas to cook
- Peas are a good source of vitamins, antioxidants, and nutrients
- Peas contain protein and fiber
We often add peas to pasta. The sweetness, size and texture of the peas complements pasta.
Best Pasta Shape To Go With Peas and Bacon
While you can make this Pasta and Peas with Bacon with any shape pasta, we find that elbow macaroni works the best.
Why Use Elbow Macaroni Pasta With Peas and Bacon
If you use elbow macaroni for this recipe, it makes the meal easy to scoop with a spoon. This becomes a one bowl, one utensil meal. Also, no messy food scraps on the dinner table, and few dishes to wash.
Elbow macaroni is also relatively fast to cook. I can get this last minute dinner on the table quicker if I use elbow macaroni pasta.
One Bowl Dinner That's Easy For Kids to Self Feed
In my rush to take photos of the meal before the kids ate it, I grabbed forks for the table setting. That's just silly.
This last minute dinner should be served with a spoon, making it super easy for even little kids to feed themselves.
Pasta Shapes to Avoid with Peas
We have done this meal with all sorts of pasta shapes. The kids' least favorite is when I make peas with shells. The peas get stuck inside the shells, and the texture is weird.
Fusilli and penne also don't work as well. Sometimes the peas get stuck in the spirals or tubes. Plus it makes this last minute meal more difficult to scoop with a spoon.
Spaghetti is probably the worst pasta to go with peas and bacon if you are feeding kids. The peas don't stick to the spaghetti. The kids end up eating all the pasta first, leaving the peas and bacon behind.
In reality, we use whatever pasta we have on hand when we make this back up meal. However, I try to keep a stash of elbow macaroni in the pantry so we can use it for pasta with peas and bacon.
What to Cook on a Lazy Night
If you are wondering what to make for dinner and have no ideas, Pasta and Peas with Bacon is the perfect answer.
Adding peas and bacon to pasta makes a delicious and simple meal. These simple ingredients come together easily.
Want more ideas? We also love the following for quick family meals:
- Kids Tuna Pasta
- Hot Dog Fried Rice
- Steak Pasta
- Kids Pesto
- Rotisserie Chicken Fried Rice
- Italian Sausage Fried Rice
I really hope you love this recipe for Pasta and Peas with Bacon. If you aren't making it today, keep it in mind for a family friendly back up meal.
Pasta and Peas with Bacon
Ingredients
- 10 oz elbow macaroni pasta
- 8 oz bacon - cut into 1 cm pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ¼ small lemon
- parmesan cheese for serving
- fresh coarse ground black pepper for serving
- parsley (optional, see notes)
Instructions
Cook the Pasta and Peas
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add in the pasta and a generous dash of salt. Turn down the heat as needed. Continue to boil until the pasta is almost done, for about 5-6 minutes.
- After about 5-6 minutes, add in the frozen peas. If you turned the heat down, turn it back up again until the water boils. Continue boiling the pasta and peas until the pasta is done. The additional cooking time will depend on the brand of pasta you use. The peas only need to cook for about 1-2 minutes, but can cook longer if the pasta needs more time.
- Once the pasta is tender, drain the pasta, reserving about ¼ cup of the pasta water.
Cook the Bacon
- As the pasta is boiling, cook the bacon in a large skillet on medium heat until it is brown and crispy. Remove from heat and set aside until the pasta is done. Drain or remove some of the bacon grease if you prefer. Otherwise it all gets tossed together with the pasta.
Mix and Serve
- In a large pot, mix the pasta, peas, bacon and bacon grease together.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and give it a mix.
- Top with fresh coarse ground black pepper, parmesan, and parsley, as desired.
Notes
Sabrina says
Adding this to our meal rotation!
Tina says
Hope it becomes a family favorite 🙂