Pasta, Pancetta, and Peas is a quick, easy weeknight meal and a great dish to serve to guests. Let me show you how fast this dish comes together. I’m using Fusilli pasta for this dish.

Heading over to my Hanging Herb Garden for fresh basil and mint for my dish.

This is what pancetta (Italian bacon) looks like. It’s similar to American bacon in that it’s cured, but it is not smoked. You can get pancetta sliced or as a thick slice at the deli counter in your local grocery store.

For this dish, you do not want it sliced; you want one thick piece, about 1/2 inch thick. The deli employees will adjust the blade on their slicer to the thickness of the slice you’re requesting. You may even be able to find pancetta already diced and packaged.

Prep Time: 3 to 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 4 to 6 servings
Equipment: 1 (10-inch) sauté pan, 1 (6-quart) saucepot, 1 mini food processor, chef’s knife, mesh strainer, and cutting board

Ingredients:
1 pound of Fusilli pasta, uncooked
2 1/2 ounces of pancetta, 1/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly-ground, reserve 1/4 cup for serving
1 large shallot, halved, and very thinly sliced
1 (10-ounce) package of frozen peas, thawed
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
1 cup starchy pasta cooking liquid
1 tablespoon of fresh basil leaves, finely julienned
1 tablespoon of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped, optional

Instructions:
Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, 10-12 minutes, still firm to the bite.  Drain well, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to the pot.

In a cold sauté pan over medium heat, add the pancetta and cook for 7 minutes. Stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the crispy pancetta to a plate lined with a paper towel. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of the drippings from the sauté pan.

To the same pan, add the sliced shallots and fresh-ground black pepper, and cook for about 3 minutes until the shallots have softened. Add the minced garlic, stirring frequently, and cook for another 1 minute. Add the thawed frozen peas to warm through, stirring everything together. Remove from heat. Add the crispy pancetta back in, and mix to combine.

Add the pancetta, shallots, and minced garlic mixture, 1/2 cup of pasta cooking liquid, 1/2 cup of the freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, half the mint, and half the basil to the cooked pasta. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by the tablespoon, if needed.

Transfer to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle the remaining basil and mint on top. Serve with additional freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

You can enjoy this dish in 30 minutes.

There you have it, my Pasta, Pancetta, and Peas.

Notes:
1) You’ll notice I’m not using any salt for this dish (except for seasoning the pasta water). The pancetta and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese together add enough salt flavor to the dish.

2) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/