pesto tortellini with pancetta, peas and cream

I love pasta.

I’ve been wanting to find a new pasta recipe to create for some time now.

So when my sister, who recently returned from a several year stint in Italy, shared this one with me, I just knew I needed to make it for myself.

I mean pasta, bacon and cream, what’s not to love?!  Plus, its super simple and easy to make. I was even able to pick up all of the ingredients I needed at Trader Joe’s in one fell swoop.

The are a few secrets to making this dish truly Italian though, and they are as follows:

• cook the pancetta nice and crisp (well, this may not be the Italian way, but it’ll make it delicious!)
• deglaze the saute pan with white wine, so that the tasty bits left on the bottom of the pan will flavor the sauce
• use grated Pecorino Romano rather than Parmesan, its more flavorful and slightly saltier
• cook the pasta ‘al dente’, which means you don’t over cook but you under cook, leaving a little bit of crunch
• transfer the pasta straight from the pot of boiling water to the saute pan using a slotted spoon (no strainers here folks!)

My husband and I were both speechless after our first bite. It’s that good.

I hope you get the chance to create and enjoy this recipe yourself!

Tortellini with Pancetta, Peas and Cream 

2 T yellow onion, finely chopped

2 t garlic, minced**

2 oz pancetta, cubed

1/8 to 1/4 c dry white wine or more if needed

1/4 c to 1/2 c heavy cream

Pecorino romano, grated

1/4 c frozen peas, thawed

1 package of Trader Joe’s fresh pesto tortelinni

salt and pepper

Place water and a hearty dash of salt in a pot, turn heat to medium high so water can prepare to boil.

Meanwhile, place pancetta in saute pan and cook for four minutes on medium heat, add onion and garlic and continue to cook until pancetta is crisp.  Turn heat to low, add white wine and continue to cook and stir for around five minutes, then add heavy cream and a handful of grated cheese and stir, stir, stir (add additional cream and cheese if it looks like more sauce is needed!). Add peas. Season with pepper and a small dash of salt.

Place tortellini in boiling water for 2-3 minutes (you want the pasta to be al dente (with a light crunch, but inside filling heated through).  Use slotted spoon or pasta scoop to remove tortellini from water and place directly in saute pan.

Turn heat off.  Toss pasta and sauce, then sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.

**I should note after preparing the sauce, I wanted a bit more garlic flavor so I added a dash of Lawry’s Garlic Salt to it and that did the trick!