creamy pancetta and peas pasta

Creamy Pancetta and Peas Pasta

April 24, 2022 6 Comments

You will fall in love at first bite with this easy to make creamy pancetta and peas pasta.

Creamy pancetta and peas pasta

From the recipe collection of Tara Ippolito

How good does creamy pancetta and peas pasta sound for dinner? Sign me up!

It’s so quick and easy to put together, too. This can totally be done as a fast weekday dinner.

I make a lot of pasta and sometimes it’s easy for me to fall into a rut.

creamy pancetta and peas pasta

I find myself making the same couple of things over and over again.

Granted it’s good but sometimes I like to shake my taste buds up a little bit.

This creamy pancetta and peas pasta was exactly what I needed.

creamy pancetta and peas pasta

The flavors are out of this world together! It’s one of those addicting pasta dishes that you just can’t seem to stop eating.

The crispy pancetta mixed with the creamy sauce and the little pop of the peas is all so incredible together.

Like I said earlier, the recipe is super easy to make, too.

pancetta and peas pasta in skillet

Good food that’s fast and easy to make is right up my alley.

This became an instant family favorite dinner at my house. I know if you try this one you’ll fall in love with it,too.

Other Italian dinner recipes

If you like Italian food like this creamy pancetta and peas pasta, here are a few other recipes you’ll love also. 

Spaghetti and meatballs plated

What is pancetta?

To be blunt, pancetta is basically Italian bacon. It’s not smoked like bacon so it doesn’t have that Smokey flavor to it. But it’s pretty much the same thing.

uncooked pancetta

Pancetta is seasoned pork belly that needs to be cooked before it’s eaten.

They both have very similar taste and textures.

Pancetta is sold at most grocery stores. Either in rounds or already diced up.

pancetta in a skillet

If you have a hard time finding it, just ask a grocery store employee. They will point you in the right direction.

What can I use to substitute pancetta?

Well, since pancetta is so similar to bacon, that would be the first option for a substitution.

If you don’t have pancetta just use that.

cooke bacon pancetta substitute

Another great substitution would be prosciutto.

Prosciutto crisps up so nicely it would be great also.

What pasta should I use?

I think this really boils down to personal preference. I used farffale or bow ties as I grew up calling them.

If you ask the pasta experts, there are actually “right” pastas to pick for certain sauces.

pasta on shelves

It’s usually recommended to choose a flat long pasta when eating a cream sauce.

Something like spaghettini, fettuccine or linguine would work wonderfully.

cooked bow tie pasta

If you want to just use up what you have in the pantry go for it. It’s not a big deal.

Why the pasta water?

You’re going to see pasta water and an ingredient in this recipe.

People who have never cooked with that before often ask me why it’s necessary to add it. Either that or they’re confused on what pasta water even is.

ladle of pasta water

Pasta water is literally the water that you’re pasta is boiling in.

Before you drain the water, reserve a ladle of the water to add taao the sauce.

The salty, starchy water is like pasta gold and here’s why:

• The salty water adds another flavor level to the sauce.

• The starch thickens the sauce and also helps it adhere to the pasta.

adding pasta water to cream sauce

This little tip of adding pasta water works on almost every sauce. So next time you’ve got some in the stove give it a try.

Creamy pancetta and peas pasta ingredients

creamy pancetta and peas in a serving bowl
  • Bow tie pasta
  • Pancetta diced
  • Diced onion
  • Chopped garlic
  • Italian seasoning
  • Garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper
  • Frozen peas
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Pasta water

Instructions

First, heat the pancetta in a large pan until crispy

pancetta in a skillet crisping up

Then add the onion, garlic and Italian seasoning.

Pancetta, onion, garlic and Italian seasoning in a skillet

Sauté that until the onion is soft.

Sautéed onion, garlic and Italian seasoning

Now add the heavy cream.

heavy cream going into the skillet

Next add the Parmesan cheese.

parmesan cheese added to the skillet

Then add the peas.

frozen peas going into the sauce

Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder & stir the peas into the sauce. They will breaks apart and thaw quickly.

frozen peas getting mixed into the sauce

Boil the pasta in salted water an let the sauce simmer.

Add a ladle of pasta water to the sauce. This will help to thicken it up.

ladle of pasta water

Now add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine.

bow ties going into the sauce

Reseason it if you need to.

re seasoning the creamy pancetta and peas pasta

Finally transfer it to a serving dish and enjoy!

creamy pancetta and peas in the serving dish

Creamy pancetta and peas pasta recipe video

Creamy Pancetta and Peas Pasta

Creamy Pancetta and Peas Pasta is the perfect quick and easy weekday dinner
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: cramy pasta, pancetta and peas pasta, pancetta pasta, pasta dinner, pasta with peas

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Farfalle pasta (bow ties)
  • 1 ladle Pasta water
  • 1 5oz Pancetta, diced
  • 1/2 Onion, diced
  • 4 Cloves Garlic, diced
  • 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tbs Garlic Powder
  • 1 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
  • 1 9oz Peas, frozen

Instructions

  • Add the pancetta to a large skillet with a tall lip over medium high heat. Cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally, until its crispy
  • Now add the chopped onion, garlic and Italian seasoning. Saute until the onion is soft.
  • Add the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Stir until everything is combined smoothly.
  • Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder then add the frozen peas.
  • Stir the peas into the sauce until they all break apart and thaw.
  • Add a ladle of cooked pasta water to the sauce and then add the pasta
  • ReSeason with salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning if needed and serve warm.

What’s a good appetizer?

Now that you’ve got dinner taken care of, here are a few great appetizer ideas if you’re looking for some inspiration.

easy cheesy garlic bread appetizer suggestion
Tara Ippolito

About Al Dente Diva

Tara Ippolito is a self taught home cook from New Jersey and cookbook author of Fast, Simple, Delicious. Better known as “T” across social media, she makes easy to follow recipes using familiar ingredients. T uses her Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest channels to share recipes and cooking tips for everyday people. Her motivation to share with her followers is simple. To inspire people to cook and become more comfortable in the kitchen.

As a wife and busy mother of two little boys she she’s always cooking fast family friendly meals. Sharing her kitchen with others that want to learn is a true passion of hers. As her social media platforms continue to grow she is committed to delivering consistently delicious content to her followers.

Al Dente Diva

Hello there! My name is T & I’m a home cook from New Jersey. I love to share easy to make recipes, cooking tips & kitchen hacks with people who love to cook like I do. My recipes are all easy to follow & use ingredients most people are familiar with. Being a busy stay at home mother of two, I have to cook delicious budget friendly meals that are fast to make. I hope you find something helpful here. Thanks for coming by.

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6 Comments

  • Anonymous April 25, 2022 at 9:34 pm

    This looks incredible. Definitely trying. Thanks for sharing

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