This easy Parmesan Pasta with Bacon and Peas is the perfect easy dinner for a busy night. Every bite has crispy bacon, sweet peas, and creamy parmesan sauce. It’s the easiest way I know to get my kids to eat their peas!

The Pasta That Gets My Kids To (Happily!!) Eat Their Peas

My kids definitely have their own food preferences (and neither one would say they like peas), but there are literal cheers out loud whenever I announce “we’re having bacon peas pasta for dinner!”. There is SO MUCH to love about this cozy pasta recipe!

It’s EASY. In the time you can boil the pasta, you can have the sauce prepped and ready to go, so the whole dinner’s done in about 30-35 min!
It’s DELICIOUS. The smokiness of the bacon, the sweetness of the peas, and the delicious savory flavor of the creamy parmesan sauce, along with notes of flavor from black pepper and garlic. Every bite is delicious!
It’s KID-FRIENDLY. Even if your kids don’t like peas, they might just go for them in this pasta! The creaminess of the parmesan sauce and the smoky bacon really mellow out and complement the peas. Both my pea-averse kids gobble this up!

Happy cooking! xo, Emily

Gather Your Ingredients

One thing that makes this easy recipe SO good for a busy weeknight is the simple ingredients list. Let’s take a look! Here’s what you’ll need to make our easy garlic parmesan pasta with peas and bacon:

Ingredients for parmesan pasta with bacon and peas

Gluten-Free Pasta. We’re gluten-free, so we’re using Jovial gluten-free brown rice pasta for this dish. The texture works well, and the flavor is neutral, so it’s my top recommendation. My favorite kind of pasta for this bacon peas pasta is spirals (fusilli or rotini), but you can also use bowties (farfalle), or small pasta shells instead!
Crisp Bacon. Smoky, crispy bacon starts our creamy sauce out strong. Using regular bacon instead of thick cut bacon and dicing the bacon small helps it cook faster and crisp up beautifully.
Frozen Peas. A budget-friendly staple that makes this simple dish easy to make last minute! If you can find petite peas, they’ll cook even faster and be even more tender. I love the frozen peas from Trader Joes!
Garlic & Simple Seasonings. Next, we build flavor with fresh garlic, along with plenty of salt and black pepper. They’re simple seasonings, but they go a long way here!
Heavy Cream. Yep, we’re doing it. You don’t need much, and it adds a velvety richness to this creamy pasta that you just can’t replicate with something like whole milk.
Parmesan Cheese. Freshly grated parmesan cheese will melt best! I like a microplane zester for grating the parmesan nice and fine. I recommend the best quality parmesan cheese that fits your budget, since the parmesan flavor is one of the stars of the show!
Maybe Some Garnish. Then, to finish, you can top this dish with a sprinkle of dried parsley, a little bit of flaky salt, and more black pepper! (I won’t tell if you also add more parmesan!)

How To Make Parmesan Pasta with Peas & Bacon, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

Making parmesan pasta with peas and bacon, step by step

COOK THE PASTA & SAVE SOME PASTA WATER. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. (Covering the pan will make it boil faster!) Cook the pasta according to package directions (mine takes 11-12 minutes to reach al dente). Scoop out about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.
WHILE THE WATER BOILS, CRISP THE BACON. In a large skillet, cook diced bacon over medium heat 10-12 minutes, or until crispy and brown. You can drain the bacon drippings from pan if you want, but I usually don’t to give the pasta more flavor.
MAKE THE SAUCE. When the cooked bacon is crisp, reduce heat to medium low and add garlic, frozen peas, salt & pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant and the peas are starting to get tender. Add heavy cream and parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is almost simmering.
FINISH THE SAUCE & ADD PASTA. Add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to the sauce and stir until it’s evenly blended. Mix in the cooked pasta, and stir in more pasta water 1 TBSP at a time, until you reach a consistency that evenly coats the pasta. If desired, you can stir in 2-3 TBSP more cream for thicker sauce. Enjoy right away and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days. Reheat with a splash of water, as needed!

Turn Up The Protein With Chicken!

When I can, I like to serve this parmesan bacon peas pasta as a side dish for chicken, so we can get a little more protein into our dinner. I’ve included a recipe for the chicken I make in the recipe card below, in case you want to try it!

If you’re making the chicken, start that when the pasta water is coming to a boil and the bacon is browning. Sprinkle chicken tenders with paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and onion powder and stir to evenly coat. Air fry 12-15 min at 375 degrees F, or pan fry 5-7 min per side in a skillet with a little olive oil.

A bowl of parmesan pasta with peas and bacon

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Bacon Peas Pasta

A Trick For Reheating Leftovers. For best results, I recommend adding a splash of water to leftovers before reheating, since the pasta will continue to absorb liquid from the sauce. That extra splash of water helps thin out the cream sauce again so it’s just right!

Extras You Can Add. I almost always make this peas and bacon pasta just as written, but if you want to add a little something extra, you can try garnishing with a little fresh lemon zest, shaved parmesan, some red pepper flakes for warmth, or a sprinkle of fresh herbs, like fresh parsley or fresh basil. They’re all delicious!

Can I Use Another Shape of Pasta? Sure! I usually make this dish with a short pasta shape so it’s easier to eat and work with. Spirals (fusilli or rotini), shells, or bowties (farfalle) work well. If you prefer, I’m sure it’d be delicious with spaghetti or angel hair pasta instead!

Make It a Meal. I love serving this bacon pea pasta with some chicken (recipe below!) and calling it a day, but you can also serve it with a green veggie like roasted asparagus or a simple green salad to fill out the meal even more.

More Gluten-Free Pasta Recipes To Try

Gluten-Free Baked Ziti

A bowl of pasta with creamy tomato sauce and fresh herbs

Gluten-Free Pasta With Tomato Cream Sauce

Gluten-Free Hamburger Helper

Gluten-Free Spaghettios

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Gluten-Free Parmesan Bacon Peas Pasta recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

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Parmesan Pasta with Peas & Bacon

Our Parmesan Pasta with Peas & Bacon is the easiest way I know to get my kids to eat their peas! Made with crispy bacon, sweet peas & creamy parmesan sauce, it's an easy 30min dinner for a busy night!

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Print Pin Rate

Servings: -6 Servings*

Ingredients

FOR THE PASTA

8 oz. Gluten-Free Spiral Pasta (I like Jovial Gluten-Free Brown Rice Fusilli)
6 Slices Bacon, diced diced
3 cloves Garlic, finely minced
1 cup Frozen Peas
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
½ cup Freshly Grated Parmesan about .5 oz
½ tsp. Black Pepper
¼ tsp. Salt

OPTIONAL CHICKEN (FOR EXTRA PROTEIN)

12-16 oz. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Tenders
1 tsp. Paprika
1.2 tsp. Garlic Powder
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Black Pepper
¼ tsp. Onion Powder

Instructions

COOK THE PASTA & SAVE SOME PASTA WATER. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. (Covering the pan will make it boil faster!) Cook the pasta according to package directions (mine takes 11-12 minutes). Scoop out about ½ cup pasta water, then drain the pasta in a colander.
WHILE THE WATER BOILS, CRISP THE BACON. In a large skillet, cook diced bacon over medium heat 10-12 minutes, or until crispy and brown. You can drain the pan if you want, but I usually don’t to give the pasta more flavor.
MAKE THE SAUCE. When the bacon is crisp, reduce heat to medium low and add garlic, frozen peas, salt & pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant and the peas are starting to get tender. Add heavy cream and parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is almost simmering.
FINISH THE SAUCE & ADD PASTA. Add ¼ cup pasta water to the sauce and stir until it’s evenly blended. Mix in the cooked pasta, and stir in more pasta water 1 TBSP at a time, until you reach a consistency that evenly coats the pasta. If desired, you can stir in 2-3 TBSP more cream for thicker sauce. Enjoy warm or store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days.
IF YOU'RE MAKING THE CHICKEN. Start that when the pasta water is coming to a boil and the bacon is browning. Sprinkle chicken tenders with paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and onion powder and stir to evenly coat. Air fry 12-15 min at 375 degrees F, or pan fry 5-7 min per side in a skillet with a little olive oil.