Bacon, Ricotta and Peas on Pasta is one of those recipes that is fast, easy, and yummy. It is one of those Italian Dishes that is really filling and not very good for you. Shhh. Don’t tell. All of my kids love this dish. The long pole in the tent is the bacon. Once the bacon is done, this dish comes together really fast. So start your garlic bread when you start the bacon and start water for your pasta when about half the bacon is ready.
Can I just admit to you right now that we use four times the originally recommended amount of bacon? Mmhmm. You can back it off to the original amount if you really wanna :). The original recipe came from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
by Marcella Hazan.
Here’s my recipe variation:
{Right Click this link to Download Foldable PDF Version}
Bacon – Ricotta – Peas on Pasta
1 pound of bacon, cooked to almost crisp but not quite.
1 bag of frozen peas, about 10 ounces.
1 Pound box of pasta
1/4 to 1/3 Cup of ricotta cheese
1/3 Cup of parmesan, freshly grated.
1/4 Cup of parmesan, freshly grated.
1/2 stick of butter
Coarse ground salt and pepper to taste
Once about half the bacon is cooked, start your pasta water and start getting your cheese grated. You will want to measure out the ricotta, 1/3 cup of parmesan and butter into a large bowl and have it ready.
When the last of the bacon is finished, drain out all but two tablespoons of bacon grease and add the peas. Stir for two minutes. Crumble up all of the bacon and heat through. The bacon will crisp up at this point. Hopefully, your pasta is finished and drained as well, or it can finish up just at this moment.
As soon as the peas are finished, add peas, bacon, grease, and pasta to the cheese/butter in the bowl with a bit of coarsely ground salt and pepper. Stir it all together. That’s it! You can serve with the extra parmesan for garnish, garlic bread and a simple salad and you have a delicious meal.
