This Pasta with Pancetta and Peas is an easy, six-ingredient dinner that is perfect for weeknight eating for the whole family. Made with just pasta, a creamy parmesan sauce, pancetta and peas, this recipe is even picky toddler approved!
If you are looking for another easy pasta weeknight meal, try this broccoli sausage pasta or super green pasta sauce.
20 minutes
Weeknight eating
Quick Look: Pasta with Pancetta and peas
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 👩🍳 Cook Time: 15 minutes
- 🕖 Total Time: 20 minutes
- 🍝 Servings: 4 servings
- ⚡️ Calories: 481 calories per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Cook on the stovetop
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: pasta, peas, pancetta
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Extremely easy! This is a great recipe to make with kids at the holidays.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for weeknight eating – This dish comes together in about 20 minutes, and it has everything you need in one plate
- Great for the family – Everyone in the family will enjoy this pasta dinner, even the picky eaters!
- Simple recipe – You only need six ingredients to bring this dish together, and you might have all of them in your fridge and pantry already!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at the ingredients you need to make this easy pasta with pancetta and peas. For a full list of ingredients and amounts please head to the full recipe.
- Pasta: you can use any pasta shape you would like. I like a rotini noodle for this dish
- Frozen peas: to keep this recipe easy, I love using frozen peas as the veggie in this dish. You could also use broccoli instead
- Pancetta: I love the added protein and salty flavor from the pancetta. You can omit it to keep your dish vegetarian. Add salt as needed if you omit the pancetta.
- Parmesan cheese: I prefer to freshly grate the parmesan so it melts into the pasta sauce for the best consistency
If you’re looking for more easy dinner ideas, try this creamy salmon and orzo skillet or pesto gnocchi sheet pan meal.
How to make Pasta with Pancetta and Peas
Step 1: Boil heavily salted water and add pasta to cook. With 2 minutes left to cook, reserve some pasta water from the pot and add the frozen peas. Drain and set aside.
Step 2: Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the cubed pancetta. Cook until browned, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, add garlic to the skillet and stir to mix with pancetta.
Step 3: Add heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Pour cooked pasta and peas into the skillet along with the pasta water. Stir until the noodles are coated in the sauce. Top with fresh grated black pepper, lemon zest, and more parm and serve.
Mad’s Expert Tips for the Best Pasta with Pancetta and Peas 🍝
- Salt your pasta water heavily – don’t be shy when it comes to salting your pasta water. It adds so much flavor to the noodles and makes a big difference in your final dish.
- Allow time for your cheese to melt – to make your sauce smooth, make sure you allow time for the parmesan to melt before adding back in the pasta.
- Reserve pasta water for the best texture – pasta water is amazing for bringing a sauce together. It has some starch from the pasta to create the perfect texture and consistency for your sauce.
- Cook your peas with your pasta – I love using peas or broccoli for easy pasta dishes because you can easily cook them at the same time and in the same pot as your pasta.
For another creamy and easy pasta dish, you can try this Rigatoni Alla Vodka.
Recipe FAQs
What kind of pasta do you use?
I like using a rotini pasta so the sauce can get on more surface areas, but you can also use rigatoni or penne.
Can you substitute bacon for pancetta?
Yes! You can use bacon the same way as pancetta in this recipe. Saute the bacon, then add garlic and create the sauce.
Do you use fresh or frozen peas?
You can use either, but frozen peas tend to cook and get tender a bit faster.
Other Weeknight Meal Recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
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Recipe
Pasta with Pancetta and Peas
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta reserve ⅓ cup pasta water
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 4 oz cubed pancetta
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon zest
Instructions
- Boil heavily salted water and add pasta to cook. Cook according to package directions, but with 2 minutes left to cook, reserve ⅓ cup pasta water from the pot and add the frozen peas. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat and add the cubed pancetta. Cook until browned, stirring frequently – about 7 minutes.
- Reduce heat to med-low, add garlic to the skillet and stir to mix with pancetta. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and parmesan cheese to the skillet. Stir until the cheese is completed melted,
- Pour cooked pasta and peas into the skillet along with the reserved pasta water. Stir until the noodles are evenly coated in the sauce and allowed to cook for a couple more minutes.
- Top with fresh grated black pepper, lemon zest, and more parm and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Salt your pasta water heavily to make sure you get the most flavor out of your pasta.
- Make sure your parmesan cheese is fully incorporated and melted before adding the pasta back in.
- The reserved pasta water will help make your sauce the perfect consistency.
- You can use broccoli in place of the peas. Just add them to your pasta pot a little eariler.
- Bacon can substitute for pancetta. You can also omit it to keep it vegetarian.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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