Ditalini Pasta with Bacon and Peas - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

This Ditalini Pasta with Bacon and Peas recipe makes a delicious meal that’s light and creamy, with a great savory flavor, but also comforting! Made with tiny pasta shapes, smoky bacon, sweet peas, and Parmesan cheese. It’s perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.

This delicious Ditalini Pasta with Bacon and Peas recipe is made with simple ingredients in just 30 minutes.

We love pasta around here It’s always a huge hit with my family (even the picky eaters!) so we make it a lot. I love finding new ways to cook it!

This recipe is simple but still packs in some protein, fibre, vegetables and carbs — it’s a simple meal that checks all of our boxes.

The Parmesan cheese adds incredible flavor to our sauce, and is the perfect complement to the smoky, salty bacon and sweet peas.

It’s not a heavy sauce, but you can adjust it as you like by bumping up the cream and cheese before serving.

Some of my other favorite Ditalini recipes areItalian Wedding Soup,Italian Sausage Soup, and myCreamy Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup.

Ingredients Needed:

• Pasta:you can use ditalini pasta as I have done, but any kind of pasta will work well. Use high quality pasta where you can, or whole grain for extra fibre.
• Bacon:chopped bacon adds a classic smoky and salty flavor.
• Peas:frozen peas will work best in this recipe, but you can use canned as well.
• Cream:use full-fat heavy cream for the creamiest flavor. Milk and low fat cream do not reduce as well as heavy cream, so I don’t recommend them in this recipe.
• Cheese:freshly grated Parmesan cheese gives a salty, cheesy flavor that’s irresistible.
• Salt and Pepper:salt and freshly cracked pepper is all you need!

How to Make Ditalini Pasta with Bacon and Peas

This recipe is quick and easy to make. Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.

1. Cook pasta: In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook ditalini just until al dente according to package directions.
2. Drain pasta: Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the ditalini.
3. Cook bacon and add sauce ingredients: Cook bacon until browned and crisp. Add the peas, cream, and Parmesan and cook together.
4. Add pasta: Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the sauce and stir, adding pasta water and stirring until the sauce and pasta come together. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Ditalini Pasta Recipe FAQs

Ditalini Pasta with Bacon and Peas Variations

• Pasta shapes:Try using another small or short pasta like orzo, ziti, orecchiette, rigatone, rotini pasta, or penne pasta. Long pasta will work, too!
• Increase the sauce:The quantities used in this recipe will give you a creamy sauce that just lightly coats the pasta and other ingredients. If you like creamier pasta sauces, just add more cream.
• Fresh herbs:Add some fresh herbs like mint or parsley as a garnish for extra fresh flavor.
• Use other veggies:You can use frozen corn or frozen green beans instead of peas if you prefer. You can also use fresh veggies if you don’t have frozen ones, just cook according to the time required or parboil separately.
• Make it vegetarian:You can easily make this recipe suitable for a vegetarian diet by omitting the bacon. To achieve a similar smoky flavor and texture, you can use thinly sliced mushrooms with a bit of liquid smoke.
• Add some spice:If you like a bit of spice in your pasta, add some red pepper flakes to the dish.

Serving Suggestions

We always have bread on our dinner table, try myNo Knead Artisan Bread,Mom’s Homemade Buns, myGarlic Bread, orHomemade Breadsticks to pair with this easy pasta recipe!

Serve this pasta dish with extra veggies on the side to make it go further. ThisCheesy Baked Asparagus,Air Fryer Green Beans, orRoasted Carrotswould go well with this dish.

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