Pasta and Peas with Bacon
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.
Yield: 4 people
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
I always keep a jar of this freeze-dried parsley on hand. It works great in this recipe, but is not necessary.