Spring Pasta with Duck Bacon, Peas and Mint

If you haven’t guessed it already, we really love duck! We keep our fridge and freezer stocked with duck products including duck leg confit, duck prosciutto and smoked duck breast. All make for great quick meals. We are big fans of the duck bacon that D’Artagnan makes — it’s absolutely delicious and always on hand. I was inspired by Not Without Salt’s recent spring pasta recipe, and so I decided to give it a try. This pasta dish couldn’t be easier and comes together quickly, so make sure you have everything at the ready. 

The ingredient list is pretty simple and made up of items many people have on hand.  I grabbed the fresh peas and mint from my local farmers’ market and Straus Family Creamery heavy cream — my favorite! Finally, you’ll need a good Parmesan to complete the dish. If you don’t have fresh peas then frozen work just as well, which means we can continue to enjoy this dish beyond Spring.

My hubby, who is a proud pasta snob, declared this dish a winner! Delicious, fast and easy, what more can you ask for from a recipe?

Spring Pasta with Duck Bacon, Peas and Mint

• Author: Circle of Eaters

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 8 oz spaghetti
• 7 slices D’Artagnan duck bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 C fresh or frozen peas
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 1 C grated Parmesan
• 1/2 C mint leaves
• salt
• generous amounts of pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
2. Add the pasta.
3. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the duck bacon pieces until crispy. Drain off any excess grease — which won’t be as much as pork bacon.
4. Then add the peas and sauté until just warmed through.
5.  Stir in the cream.
6. Add the pasta along with a some of pasta water and toss the pasta around in the sauce to release the starch. Simmer gently until the sauce coats the pasta and it thickens slightly.
7. Add a pinch of salt and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper. Add more pasta water if it’s too dry and not yet thick and creamy.
8. Stir in half of the grated Parmesan.
9. Transfer the pasta to a serving dish then tear the mint leaves and toss.
10. Finish with more mint and the rest of the Parmesan.