Peas and Bacon

This peas and bacon recipe is my practical alternative to peas and guanciale. I wanted to maintain the Italian authenticity for this side dish, but also needed to make sure it stays easy and affordable!

Recipe Summary

This recipe serves approximately 4 people, and takes about 30 minutes to make start to finish. There’s lots of room for flexibility when it comes to the ingredients, which makes it even easier to make.

This Italian side dish is common throughout Italy and can be used as a side dish or mixed with pasta. See, I told you there are lots of options!

Guanciale vs. Bacon

The traditional method for preparing this dish in Italy is to use guanciale, which comes from pork cheek. Also, guanciale is not smoked – it’s dry cured. Because of these differences, guanciale can be fattier, yet holds more flavor.

Bacon on the other hand, is from pork belly, and it’s smoked, not dry-cured. In addition, bacon is more affordable and it’s easily found in regular grocery stores.

You can try and find guanciale in the super markets, but odds are you have to go to a specialty store and pay a higher price.

So for this recipe, I modified it so that it is more practical, budget-friendly and easier to make!

Ingredients

For this recipe you just need a few simple ingredients.

• Onion. I use a standard small yellow onion (or half a large one).
• Extra virgin olive oil.
• Bacon – I avoid any flavored bacon (like maple), I try to keep it simple.
• Peas. I use frozen sweet peas as that’s what I always keep in my freezer. But you could also use fresh or canned if that’s what you have.
• Salt and pepper. This is optional, but recommended based on my experience.

Equipment Needed

• Saute or frying pan

Step by Step Instructions

For exact measurements check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1. Over medium heat, add the olive oil to your saute pan.

Step 2. Add the diced onions and stir to coat with the olive oil.

Step 3. Reduce heat to a low-medium and saute for approximately 8 minutes or until the onions are transparent and soft.

Step 4. Meanwhile, chop the bacon into small pieces.

Step 5. When the onions are done cooking, add in the diced bacon and increase heat to medium. Stir to coat with the oil and let cook for 7-10 minutes until bacon is thoroughly cooked.

Step 6. When bacon is done, add in the peas, cover with a lid and let cook 10 minutes or until peas are soft and ready to eat.

Pro Tip: If your peas are frozen, keep them off to one side of the pan so that they don’t cool down the bacon. Then mix them together with the bacon after a few minutes and continue cooking.

Step 7. Top with salt and cracked black pepper and serve.

See some more recipe tips and ideas below.

Recipe Video

Recipe Tips & Modifications

Here are some recipe ideas to modify this dish!

• Add extra herbs such as basil, oregano or mint during the last minute of cooking.
• Turn this recipe into a main dish by mixing with pasta. Short pasta shapes such as orecchiette would work great, or even linguini!
• Instead of peas, try beans such as fava, lima, or even white beans. If choosing white beans, I would double the bacon.

What to Serve This Recipe With

My easy chicken piccata recipe goes great with the peas thanks to the springy lemony flavor.

For an additional side dish that is full of Italian flavors, try my Italian antipasto salad!

Try my homemade garlic mashed potatoes recipe to go with your peas and bacon. It’s great for larger meals too!

Additional Similar Recipes

For more inspiration, check out these recipe collections below.

• Italian Pasta and Peas
• Stovetop Chicken and Peas and Spinach
• Quick Pasta with Asparagus and Peas