Pancetta and Pea Pasta

This pancetta and pea pasta is a quick and delicious weeknight dinner recipe. It can be on your table in less than 30 minutes! The garlicky cream sauce is lightened up by using half-and-half instead of heavy cream.

This creamy pancetta pasta recipe is really simple; it only has a handful of ingredients, and many of them are pantry staples.

If you like spaghetti carbonara and peas, it’s likely that you will enjoy this dish. There’s no eggs in here, but we’ve got similar flavors going on.

What is pancetta?

Pancetta is an Italian bacon that’s made of cured pork belly. It crisps up wonderfully in this pasta dish! I buy pre-diced cubes from the deli section of my local grocery store.

The pancetta pasta sauce is nicely balanced. The peas and creamy sauce are the perfect complement to the salty pancetta.

Pro tip: If you can’t find pancetta, you can always just make this pasta with peas and bacon.

Will you make this easy pancetta pea pasta?

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Pancetta and Pea Pasta

This pancetta and pea pasta is a quick and delicious weeknight dinner recipe. It can be on your table in less than 30 minutes! The garlicky cream sauce is lightened up by using half-and-half instead of heavy cream. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword pancetta and pea pasta, pancetta pasta

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Author Salt & Lavender

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked pasta (I recommend linguine) 
• 1 (4.4 ounce) package diced pancetta
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 dash Italian seasoning
• 1 cup peas (I used frozen)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Boil a large, salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook it al dente according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, fry the pancetta over medium-high heat until it's nice and crispy (about 10 min.). 
3. If there's a lot of fat left over, drain the majority of it. 
4. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the half-and-half, Italian seasoning, and peas. 
5. Let the sauce bubble for a few minutes, then drain the cooked pasta and add it to the skillet, along with the parmesan. 
6. Toss the pasta with the sauce and let it cook for a few more minutes, tossing often (turn heat down to medium/med-low). This will help more of the starch to release from the pasta so the sauce thickens up a bit more. Serve immediately with fresh cracked pepper if desired.

Recipe Notes

• You can dice the pancetta yourself if you can't find the pre-diced variety. Pancetta is pretty salty, so I don't typically add extra salt to dishes with pancetta in them (aside from the pasta water, of course). 

Looking for more easy pancetta recipes? Try my pasta with pancetta, mushrooms, and garlic.