bacon pea and mint pasta

Bacon, pea and mint pasta

This is a misleading title for obvious reasons but this recipe is based on a total classic from lovely Jamie Oliver, which I can highly recommend if you’re having a treat night and fancy a cheeky pasta dish.

Once everything has been chopped and grated it’s pretty quick to prepare so it’s ideal for a midweek supper. I’ve swapped out the shell pasta from the original recipe for chunky pieces of courgette, added a tiny bit of garlic to give it a bit more flavour and green beans to bulk it out a little bit, making this carb-free version just as filling and delicious!

Ingredients

  • 4 medium courgettes
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 cube of organic chicken stock
  • 6 slices of smoked streaky bacon or pancetta/lardons
  • A large handful of frozen peas
  • A handful green beans, washed, trimmed and cut into thirds
  • 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
  • 100g parmesan
  • A handful of fresh mint
  • 1 lemon
  • Olive oil
  • Pepper

Method

  1. Wash the courgettes and dice into roughly 1 cm cubed pieces then chop the mint, grate the Parmesan and finely slice the bacon.
  2. Wash, trim and chop the green beans into thirds.
  3. Place a large frying pan on a medium heat, add a little olive oil and let the pan warm up. Add the bacon and a little black pepper and cook until golden and crisp.
  4. Place another large frying pan on a medium heat adding a little olive oil and leave to warm.
  5. After a minute or so add the courgette cubes and the crushed garlic. Sprinkle over half a chicken stock cube, add a little black pepper and stir it all together. These should be fried off for about 5 – 8 minutes in total or until the pieces turn a bit softer but with crispy golden flecks on the flesh.
  6. Meanwhile, once the bacon is golden add the green beans and toss together. After about a minute add the frozen peas and give it all a good stir.
  7. Once the peas have been in for about a minute add the Crème fraîche and the chopped mint. Then halve the lemon and squeeze the juice into the pan.
  8. The courgette should be just about done by now. Spoon a portion into two bowls then add the remainder to the bacon and pea pan.
  9. Add the parmesan to the pan, saving a little to serve. Mix it all together over the heat then serve in the bowls over the courgette pieces, with a little parmesan sprinkled on top.

 

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