Creamy Pasta with Bacon and Peas
Spaghetti tossed with crispy bacon, sweet peas, and a garlic cream sauce thinned with chicken broth so it stays light enough for a weeknight. A squeeze of lemon at the end keeps it from tasting heavy. Ready in about 30 minutes.
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 1182kcal
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 6 slices bacon crumbled or chopped
- 1 cup sweet peas
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti to al dente, about a minute shy of what the package says. Scoop out a cup of the pasta water before you drain, then set the pasta aside. That starchy water is your safety net if the sauce tightens up later.12 oz spaghetti
- Cook the bacon. While the pasta water heats, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes depending on thickness. Move it to a plate. Pour off the rendered fat until about a tablespoon is left in the pan. Any more than that and the sauce comes out greasy.6 slices bacon
- Cook the garlic. Add the garlic to the bacon fat and cook for 30 to 45 seconds, just until it smells good. Keep it moving. Garlic in hot fat goes bitter fast, and once the cream is in there's no fixing it.3 cloves garlic
- Deglaze with the broth. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Let it bubble for about a minute. Those bits are most of the bacon flavor and you want them in the sauce, not stuck to the pan.½ cup chicken broth
- Add the cream and peas. Stir in the heavy cream and bring it to a bare simmer, not a boil. Boiling cream is the fastest way to split a sauce. Add the frozen peas straight from the bag and let them warm through for 2 to 3 minutes.1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup sweet peas
- Finish the sauce. Crumble the bacon back in, then stir in the Parmesan a handful at a time so it melts smoothly instead of clumping. Give it a minute to thicken slightly.6 slices bacon, ½ cup grated Parmesan
- Off the heat, add the lemon. Take the pan off the burner before the lemon juice goes in. Acid hitting hot cream is what turns a sauce grainy. Stir it through, then taste and season with salt and pepper now, not earlier. Between the bacon, broth, and Parmesan there's already a lot of salt in play.1 tbsp lemon juice, Salt and pepper
- Toss and serve. Add the drained spaghetti and toss until every strand is coated, splashing in reserved pasta water a little at a time if the sauce feels tight. Serve right away with extra Parmesan. It thickens as it sits, so this isn't a dish that waits well.12 oz spaghetti
Notes
Pasta water. Reserve a full cup before draining, not a splash. The starch thins the sauce without watering down the flavor, and you can always pour out what you don't use.
Bacon fat. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon after the bacon crisps. Any more and the finished sauce comes out greasy.
Keep the cream at a bare simmer. A few slow bubbles at the edge of the pan, never a rolling boil. Boiling cream separates and won't come back together.
Lemon goes in off the heat. Take the pan off the burner and let the bubbling stop before adding the juice. Acid hitting hot cream is what turns a sauce grainy.
Season last. Bacon, chicken broth, and Parmesan are all salty and they stack. Taste after the cheese is stirred in, then adjust. Low-sodium broth gives you more room.
Grate the Parmesan yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is coated to prevent caking, and that coating keeps it from melting cleanly into a warm sauce.
Peas. Frozen, straight from the bag. No thawing needed.
Serve right away. The sauce tightens as it sits, so this isn't a dish that holds well between the pan and the table.
Storage. Refrigerate up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently over medium-low with a splash of broth or milk. Freezing isn't recommended, since cream sauces separate on thawing.
Nutrition
Calories: 1182kcal | Carbohydrates: 174.8g | Protein: 49.2g | Fat: 30.9g | Saturated Fat: 11.7g | Cholesterol: 289mg | Sodium: 791mg | Calcium: 166mg
