Macaroni and Peas
Published Feb. 21, 2024
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2ounces grated Parmesan (about ¾ cup), plus more for the table
- 2whole large eggs
- ½cup heavy cream
- Salt and black pepper
- 1pound short, chunky dry pasta, such as rigatoni, cavatappi, bowties or elbow macaroni
- 1cup frozen peas
- 1teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
- 2 to 3ounces bacon or pancetta, cut into ¼-inch dice (if you are using pre-sliced bacon, preferably thick-cut, cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces)
- 3scallions, thinly sliced, greens and white reserved separately
- 3medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- About 1 packed cup (total) fresh parsley and mint leaves, chopped
For the Sauce
For the Pasta
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
794 calories; 30 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 95 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 667 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, and while you wait, make the sauce: Whisk together the grated cheese, eggs and cream in a large bowl and set aside.
- Step 2
Add the pasta to the boiling water, give it a stir and let it cook until mostly done but still slightly chalky in the center, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Add the frozen peas and cook until defrosted, about 1 minute longer. Drain, reserving at least 2 cups of the starchy pasta water.
- Step 3
While the pasta cooks, heat the oil and bacon or pancetta in a large straight-sided skillet or saucepan over medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon browns at the edges, about 4 minutes. Add the scallions whites, the garlic, a few generous grinds of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic and scallions are lightly softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Remove from heat and, using a ladle, add ½ cup of the pasta water to the pan to halt cooking.
- Step 4
When the pasta is cooked, add the drained pasta, peas and a half cup of the reserved pasta water to the bowl with the cream sauce. Stir with tongs to thoroughly combine, then transfer everything back to the skillet with the bacon, scallion whites, and garlic. Set over low heat and cook, stirring and tossing continuously, until the sauce thickens lightly and coats the pasta, about 2 minutes. (If it looks too dry, add more reserved pasta water, stir and toss vigorously, bearing in mind that it will get drier once it hits the plate and starts to cool, so it should look a little too loose in the pan.)
- Step 5
Stir in parsley, mint and scallion greens, keeping a handful of herbs for garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with reserved herbs and cheese, and serve immediately.
Private Notes
Comments
For folks who don't eat bacon or other pork products, I find that canned tuna fish works just great to give the type of dish that salt and flavor zip. I suppose that fresh tuna, minced clams, or anchovies could also work, but haven't gone that route yet.
I like this wedding of simple pasta and peas (a Sicilian standard) and carbonara. I always sautee onion (and whatever, diced mushrooms, a few roma tomatoes?), then throw in the peas for a few minutes while the pasta cooks. No pancetta or bacon - just a simple veggie dish. Doesn't need the garlc, IMO, but do as you like. A little egg and cream - what's not to like? Plenty of pecorino, freshly ground pepper, and everything is wonderful.
The preamble clearly states this recipe "starts with a love of store bought mac and cheese". I got that immediately. But a whole lot better. A little more involved that chucking chopped bacon into a box of pasta but the pay off was worth it. And very kid friendly. My 4 year old had helping after helping, "went to bed" got out of bed 40 minutes later saying, "I'm hungry." And had 2 more bowls before heading back to bed for the 5th and final time. I think. Love that kid.
I haven’t crashed and burned on a recipe this badly in a while. As a guideline I stick to only 5 star reviews on NYT Cooking… but as a Kenji disciple and with a package of frozen pancetta in our freezer I was tired of looking at, I decided to ignore said guideline and give it a try. Like another poster this went into the garbage. Another comment cited the sauce splitting. From what I can tell the eggs in ours actually curdled. I am not sure what step cooked the eggs but the end product was just not good. I followed the recipe closely - including removing the pancetta pan from the heat and cooling the mixture with pasta water. Whenever it happened, something here went badly awry in our hands :( Worst fail I’ve had on a recipe on this site by a wide margin. Back to those guidelines.
Overly complicated recipe for what should be a simple pasta. Of course, I did not return the pasta with the egg/cream/cheese sauce to the flame: one should never actually cook the cheese and/or eggs: they should be added to hot pasta off-flame, mixing them well with however much of the pasta water you need to create the silkiness as for a carbonara.
I’m convinced people think there’s not enough sauce because they aren’t adding an adequate amount of pasta water. More than saucy enough as written, just make sure to cook it that last 2 minutes. Tripled the amount of pepper, which is to say, I added red pepper flake with the pancetta, and about a tablespoon of freshly ground pepper with the onions and garlic. Next time, may finish with some lemon zest mixed with some toasted breadcrumbs and try it with some tortellini. Love this recipe!