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Mini Shella Pasta with a Creamy Smoked Bacon and Pea Sauce

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Rate this recipe 4.7/5 (3 Votes)

Ingredients

  • 10 slices smoked bacon or pancetta, preferably free-range or organic
  • a small bunch of fresh mint
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound dried mini shell or other type of pasta
  • olive oil
  • a pat of butter
  • 2 cups frozen peas
  • 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or heavy cream
  • 1 lemon
  • 6 ounces Parmesan cheese

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 30mins

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare your pasta:
Finely slice the bacon • Pick the mint leaves and discard the stalks • Finely grate the Parmesan

To cook your pasta:
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil • Add the mini shells and cook according to the package instructions • Get a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a good lug of olive oil and the butter • Add the bacon to the pan, sprinkle a little pepper over and fry until golden and crisp • Meanwhile, finely chop your mint leaves • As soon as the bacon is golden, add your frozen peas and give the pan a good shake • After a minute or so, add the crème fraiche (or heavy cream) and chopped mint to the bacon and peas • Drain the pasta in a colander over a large bowl, reserving some of the cooking water • Add the pasta to the frying pan • Halve your lemon and squeeze the juice over the pasta • When it's all bubbling away nicely, remove from the heat • It's really important that the sauce is creamy, silky, and delicious but if it's too thick for you, add a splash of the reserved cooking water to thin it out a bit • Add the grated Parmesan and give the pan a shake to mix it in

To serve your pasta:
Divide your pasta between plates or bowls, or put it on the table in a large serving dish and let everyone help themselves • Lovely with a simply dressed green salad

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