Penne with Bacon, Peas & Ricotta
Submitted by julz
Penne with bacon, peas, and ricotta is a creamy 5-ingredient pasta ready in 20 minutes. Smoky bacon fat coats the penne while ricotta melts into a silky sauce.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
5 minCOOK
15 minREADY
20 minFive ingredients, 20 minutes, and you’ve got a pasta dish that punches way above its weight. Bacon renders in its own fat, frozen peas cook in that same smoky dripping, and everything gets tossed with hot penne and a generous scoop of ricotta that melts into a creamy, almost carbonara-like coating.
The ricotta does the heavy work of sauce-making here. Stirring it into the hot pasta softens it into a rich, clinging layer that clings to every tube of penne. No cream, no butter, no roux needed.
Drain the pasta well. Shake the colander hard. Extra water trapped in the penne tubes dilutes the ricotta and turns the sauce thin and watery instead of thick and creamy.
Kitchen Tips
- Start the bacon in a cold skillet. Cold-starting renders the fat slowly and evenly, giving you crispy bacon without burning.
- Leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan for the peas. That smoky fat is the flavor base. Pour off the rest, but not down the drain.
- Mix the ricotta into the hot pasta first, before the bacon and peas. The heat melts the cheese into a smooth sauce. Adding it last leaves you with cold lumps.
- Taste before salting. The bacon and ricotta both bring salt. You may only need pepper.
Variations
- Lemon ricotta penne: Add lemon zest and a squeeze of juice to the ricotta before mixing for a brighter, tangier version.
- Pancetta and pea: Swap bacon for diced pancetta and add a handful of grated Pecorino Romano for a more Italian take.
Ingredients
Directions
Fill a big pot, such as a Dutch oven, two-thirds full of water.
Cover, put over high heat, and bring to a boil.
Set a colander in your clean sink.
When the water boils with big bubbles, add the penne-slowly, so the water keeps on boiling.
Cook according to package directions.
While the penne cooks, cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces.
Put it in the cold skillet.
Turn the heat to medium.
Fry the bacon until soft.
Pour out most of the bacon fat (not down your drain), leaving about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan.
Put the bacon back on medium heat. Immediately add the peas.
Stir and cook until the peas are shiny green, about 1½ minutes.
Drain the pasta in the colander.
Shake the colander to get as much water out of the penne as possible.
Put the hot pasta in the serving bowl.
Mix in the cheese, then the bacon and peas.
Add black pepper, but taste for salt before adding any.
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