Add this family favorite pasta recipe to your weekly menu. Quick and easy this Bacon and Tomato Pasta with Peas is ready in about 25 minutes. The sauce has a touch of white wine, chicken stock, and a generous helping of Parmesan cheese to make the dish extra delicious. Your family will LOVE this easy dinner recipe!
Some of my family's and personal chef clients' favorite pasta dishes include Creamy Tomato Pasta, Super Cheesy and Easy Mac and Cheese, and Triple Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells. These ultra cheesy and creamy dishes are amazing! But every once in a while, I'm looking to prepare a lightened pasta dish.
That's when I put on a big pot of water, heat up my sauté pan, and make my Quick and Easy Bacon and Tomato Pasta with Peas.
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why you'll love this recipe
I love 30 minute dinner recipes and this bacon pasta with tomatoes is one of my favorites. This is a lightened up pasta dish. There's not a heavy sauce or lots of cheese. The cooked pasta is tossed in a sauce with crispy bacon, sautéed onions, fresh tomatoes, bright green peas, and nutty Parmesan cheese.
This pasta dish is absolutely delicious!
ingredients
- pasta
- bacon
- onion
- garlic
- plum or Roma tomatoes
- white wine
- reduced sodium chicken stock
- peas
- Parmesan cheese
- kosher salt
- pepper
Scroll down to the recipe for full quantities of the ingredients.
substitutions and additions
- Use your favorite pasta shape! I like rotini, ziti or penne.
- Choose thick cut bacon for this dish. Alternatives include pancetta or regular sliced bacon.
- Instead of plum or Roma tomatoes use beefsteak or tomatoes on the vine.
- Choose a dry white wine like Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. Skip the sweet wines like Riesling in this recipe.
- If you want to skip the white wine in the sauce just add more of the chicken stock or some of the pasta cooking water.
- Frozen peas are my go to for recipes. They are sweet, firm and add a pop of bright green color.
how to cook pasta
Making pasta is as easy as boiling water. But here's a few tips for a perfect pasta every time.
- Choose the right size pot for the amount of pasta you are making. It should be large enough so the cooking pasta can move around freely.
- Fill the pot with water, cover with a lid, place it over high heat and bring the water to a boil. About 4 to 6 quarts of water is perfect for cooking 1 pound of pasta.
- When the water comes to a full rolling boil, add a generous amount of kosher salt ~ about 1 tablespoon for every 4 quarts of water.
- Add your pasta of choice and give it a stir to prevent it from sticking together or to the pot. Stir occasionally as it cooks too.
- Check the package of the pasta for the suggested cooking time. Most pasta takes about 7 to 11 minutes to cook. I check it at the least amount of cooking time so the pasta does not get mushy and fall apart. You want the pasta to be al dente or with a slight chewiness and little firm in the middle.
- When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it in a colander. If the pasta is going to be used for a cold salad, rinse it with cold water. This will stop the cooking process. For pastas in hot dishes, never rinse with water. The starchy water that is on the pasta will help the sauces cling to the cooked pasta.
recipe details
This pasta dish comes together quick, quick, quick! It's perfect for those evenings when you are short on time when making dinner.
Cook and drain your favorite shape of pasta. Set it aside while the sauce is made.
Cook bacon in a large sauté pan. Remove it to a bowl and leave a couple tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan. Add sliced onions and cook until translucent and slightly golden brown on the edges. Stir in garlic and chopped tomatoes and sauté for a few minutes.
Pour in some white wine and cook for another couple minutes. Add chicken stock, peas and the cooked bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Give the sauce a good stir and cook until all the ingredients are heated through.
Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat it with the sauce. Sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine the ingredients.
Dinner is ready, and your family will think you are rock star!
expert tips
- Don't overcook the pasta or it will fall apart when stirred into the sauce.
- Add the peas at the last minute so they don't get mushy and stay bright green.
- Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave on 60 percent power for about 1 minute.
more pasta recipes to try
- Creamy Tomato Pasta
- Grown Up Buttered Noodles with Parmesan and Garlic
- Tortellini Pasta with Asparagus, Spinach and Ham
- Hearty One Pot Lasagna Soup
- Pasta with Goat Cheese, Prosciutto, Peas and Asparagus
just one more thing
If you make this delicious pasta with peas and bacon recipe, I'd love hearing from you all.
Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I'll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.
Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories, videos, cooking tips, and recipes.
Recipe
Quick and Easy Bacon and Tomato Pasta with Peas
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of dried pasta ~ about 4 cups of rotini ziti, or penne
- kosher salt
- 12 ounces of thick cut bacon cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 large yellow onion sliced, about 1 ½ cups
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 3 large Roma or plum tomatoes about 3 cups diced
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup peas
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to the package directions. Drain ~ do not rinse ~ and set aside.
- Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until just crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan to a bowl. Leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan and discard the rest.
- Add the sliced onions to the pan and sauté until translucent and golden brown on the edges, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. The tomatoes should still hold their shape yet be slightly cooked.
- Add the white wine and continue stirring and cooking for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
- Add the peas, cooked bacon, and pasta and toss to combine the ingredients with the sauce.
- Sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese and gently stir to combine.
- Serve the pasta in large shallow bowls and pass extra Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top.
Notes
- Make sure to not overcook the pasta or it will fall apart when stirred into the sauce.
- Thick cut bacon is my first choice for this recipe. But regular bacon or diced pancetta are also excellent substitutes.
- Plum or Roma tomatoes are delicious in this pasta recipe. Tomatoes on the vine and beefsteak tomatoes can also be used in the dish.
- If you want to skip the white wine in the sauce just add more of the chicken broth or some of the pasta cooking water.
- Frozen peas are my go to for recipes. They are sweet, firm and add a pop of bright green color.
Betty Stratton says
Super delicious!
Amy Casey says
Thanks so much Betty!