Pasta with green peas and bacon

I like pasta because it's tasty and QUICK. My husband laughs at me that my go-to dish is pesto pasta (it is...). He hates pesto...

Anyway... Pasta is the kind of food that is a life saver when you don’t have much time to cook but still want to eat something homemade. You can have a meal from scratch in 10 minutes - what’s not to like? Throw in a handful of veg/meat and you’re ready to go. Swap your pasta to the brown type and it’s even healthier (ok, it takes longer to cook so let’s say 20 minutes). Also, you can just make a basic tomato sauce, freeze it and next time it’s a ready, one pan meal. There are so many things you can do with pasta - possibilities are endless!

I must admit this was a leftover dinner. I was looking in the fridge for things that needed using, found an open packet of bacon, some Greek yoghurt and after digging in the freezer (I mean really digging - we have one of those freezers that open from the top so if you want to get anything out you have to pretend to be an archaeologist on a mission) I discovered half a packet of peas and an idea was born. Hope you enjoy this recipe!

1 pork stock cube

Half a packet of spaghetti 

1tbsp olive oil

Smoked bacon, chopped, 150g

Frozen peas 200g

2 tbsp Greek yoghurt

2 handfuls of grated mature cheddar

1. Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Add the stock cube to the boiling water.

2. Heat up the frying pan on the highest setting and, when really hot, add bacon and fry for a couple of minutes while stirring continuously.

3. Turn the heat down. Add olive oil. Fry the bacon until it’s just turning crisp.

4. By this time your pasta should be cooked al dente. Add it to the frying pan, together with some of the cooking water (Id say a cup) and mix with bacon. Add frozen peas and stir everything through. Keep the cooking water in case the sauce gets too thick. 

5. Add Greek yoghurt - do it carefully so it doesn’t split. I usually dollop it in one spot, wait until it warms through and then stir it in. 

6. Leave it to cook on low heat, checking it occasionally. If the sauce gets too thick add a bit more of cooking water. 

7. Plate up and sprinkle with grated Cheddar. Season with black pepper. You shouldn’t need to use salt as the cooking water would be quite salty thanks to the stock cube.