Pasta with Pancetta and Peas
This 20-minute pancetta pasta with peas is a light and easy summer dinner. In the time it takes to boil the pasta you can make the citrusy white wine sauce flavored with fresh herbs.
If you’re like me you’ve reached the point in the summer when spending too long in a hot kitchen is as appealing as wearing a woolly sweater at the beach. Since I don’t have air conditioning, house temperature management has become a part-time job. So, no-cook, quick and easy, or ‘oh h*ck, let’s just order pizza’ are some of my cooking goals these days.
And this pasta with pancetta and peas falls under the quick and easy column. Yes, it requires turning on the stove but only long enough to boil the pasta which translates to about 20 minutes work time in total if you count the prep. So, in the time it takes to boil the pasta you can make the pancetta cooked in a light and citrusy white wine sauce.
Ingredients
- Pasta: I like orecchiette for this dish because it’s shape cradles the pancetta and peas. Other short pasta will do, too, like small shells, penne, or farfalle (bow tie pasta).
- Diced pancetta: This is cured pork belly used in Italian cooking. I’ve never had a problem finding it in regular grocery stores – it’s usually near the deli meat section and sold (already diced!) in 4-ounce packages. If you can’t find it you can substitute bacon, but it will give your dish more of a smoky flavor.
- Frozen green peas
- Chopped yellow onion
- Chopped garlic
- White wine: I recommend sauvignon blanc, chardonnay or pinot grigio. Pick a wine you like to drink and use some of it to make the sauce and serve the rest with dinner
- Lemon juice and zest
- Kosher salt
- Unsalted butter
- Chopped fresh parsley
How to Make Pancetta Pasta
☑️ Boil the Pasta
Orecchiette takes approximately 10 to 12 minutes to cook, and in that time you can make the sauce.
☑️ Prepare the Pancetta and Peas
Cook the pancetta first in a large pan until it renders its fat, which will take about five minutes or so.
Add the onions and garlic and stir them around for about a minute or so before adding the wine and lemon juice.
Turn the heat up and bring the sauce to a simmer. You want to reduce the liquid a bit so it thickens slightly. Scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan while the wine and lemon juice simmers.
Add the peas, parsley and butter. You can add the frozen peas directly to the sauce because they will thaw out pretty quick as you stir them with the sauce.
☑️ Garnish and Serve
Once the butter has melted, add the hot, cooked pasta and stir to coat it with the sauce. The sauce is light and, by design, will coat the cooked pasta in a thin layer of flavor.
For serving, I like to sprinkle on a little more chopped parsley, some grated Parmesan cheese, and some black pepper.
Pasta with Pancetta and Peas
Ingredients
- 12 ounces orecchiette
- 8 ounces diced pancetta
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- Zest of half a lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 1/4 cups frozen green peas
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Optional garnishes: Chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese, black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and boil it for the time listed on the package.
- While the pasta boils, cook the pancetta over medium heat in a large pan until it renders its fat, about five minutes.
- Add the onions, garlic, and salt and cook them for about a minute, or just until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the wine, lemon juice, and zest and turn the heat up to bring the liquid to a simmer. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned bits. Simmer the sauce for a few minutes or until it reduces a bit and slightly thickens.
- Add the peas, butter, and parsley and stir until the butter melts. Drain the pasta quickly and add it to the pan with the sauce and stir it until it's evenly coated in the sauce. Add the garnishes for serving, if using.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
More Recipes with Pancetta
Happy cooking,
This post, recipes, and photos have been updated from the archives. The post was first published in March 2015.
This was really delicious, and easy to make. I used Farfalle and my Family LOVED it! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much for letting me know, Tina! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This pasta is so lovely and delicious! It was perfectly easy to make and really light on a hot summer night!
Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
So glad you liked it, Julia!