Pasta with Creamy Bacon and Pea Sauce

Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 pound small shaped pasta
- 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 to 2 tbsp butter
- 10 slices bacon or pancetta, cut into short, thin slices
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 2 heaping tbsp creme fraiche
-- salt and pepper
- juice of 1 lemon
- 6 oz. Parmesan cheese
- Fried (no oil just heat in frying pan) or boiled (10 min) sausage on the side

Instructions:
This is another recipe with a really simple sauce, so before you start any really cooking you want to bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop your pasta. Make sure to reserve a cup or so of the cooking water.

In a large, high-sided pan, melt the butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Toss the pancetta into the pan with some pepper and cook until crispy and golden brown, about five minutes. Add the peas to the pan, stirring to combine. Give the peas a minute or two to defrost, then add the creme friache. Stir until the creme friache has coated everything nicely. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and add it directly to the sauce pan. Pour the lemon juice over the pasta and stir everything to combine well, making sure the sauce coats each piece of pasta nicely. Finally, mix in the Parmesan cheese. Add some of the cooking liquid to thin out the sauce if desired (this is based totally on personal preference).

 

This is really a great recipe — something different, yet familiar. The combination of the creme friache and Parmesan made for an extra creamy sauce that wasn’t too heavy. This is a great creamy pasta dish for those who fine traditional cream sauces too heavy, and a great dish for spring and summer months. It goes great with fried or boiled sausage.

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PASTA

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded {or shredded rotisserie chicken…
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 {4 oz.} can diced green chiles
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 {10 oz.} cans green chili enchilada sauce
2/3 cups red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheese {I used colby & monterrey jack}
1 cup sour cream
Penne pasta

Optional toppings
Avocado
Black Olives
Tomatoes
Sour Cream
Cook chicken, drain, and shred {or shred your rotisserie}. Meanwhile boil pasta according to package and chop the veggies.

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, & enchilada sauces. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.
Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Now toss in the sour cream, but whatever you do, DO NOT bring to a boil! Cook on low heat or the sour cream will curdle. Gross. Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.
Drain pasta & return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta and mix well. Serve and garnish with avocado, tomato, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream.