Sometimes the best Italian meals are the simplest. This rustic pasta combines smoky bacon or flavorful Italian sausage with sweet peas, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and just enough cream to bring everything together into a silky sauce.

It’s the kind of dish that appears all over Italy in one form or another, where cooks adapt recipes to whatever they have on hand. Some families make it with pancetta, others with sausage, and a splash of cream is often added in Northern Italy for extra richness. A squeeze of fresh lemon at the end brightens the entire dish and balances the richness of the meat and cheese.

This has long been one of my favorite weeknight pasta recipes because it comes together in about thirty minutes using ingredients that are usually already in the refrigerator. It’s hearty enough to stand on its own but simple enough to let the quality of the ingredients shine.

Here’s a good tip:

The reserved pasta water is just as important as the cream. The starch helps the Parmesan melt smoothly into the sauce and gives the pasta its silky finish without making it heavy.

Ingredients:

10 slices smoked bacon/pancetta or 1/2 lb sausage 

1 lb Rigatoni

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp Butter

2 cups frozen Peas

2 Tbsp Crème fraîche or Heavy Cream

1-2 tsp Chili flakes

Juice of 1 Lemon

6 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Freshly ground black pepper

Squeeze of fresh Lemon

Note: I often make this with smoked bacon because that’s what I usually have on hand, but pancetta produces a slightly more traditional Italian flavor. Good quality Italian sausage is equally delicious and turns this into an even heartier meal.

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni until just al dente, reserving about a cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.

While the pasta cooks, place the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. If using bacon or pancetta, cook until the fat has rendered and the meat is lightly crisp. If using sausage, remove it from its casing, break it into small pieces and cook until well browned.

Add the butter and minced garlic, cooking for about a minute until fragrant. Be careful not to let the garlic brown.

Stir in the frozen peas and cook for several minutes until they are heated through and bright green.

Add the chili flakes, followed by the crème fraîche or heavy cream. Stir gently until everything comes together into a light sauce.

Add the drained rigatoni directly to the pan along with the Parmesan cheese. Toss everything together, adding just enough reserved pasta water to create a silky sauce that lightly coats every piece of pasta rather than pooling in the bottom of the pan. Note: you might not need all the pasta water.

Finish with the lemon juice and several generous grinds of black pepper. Toss one final time, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Serve immediately with additional freshly grated Parmesan at the table.