Pasta with Peas, Guanciale and Pecorino Romano

Pasta e piselli is one of the simplest and most comforting Italian spring dishes. This version adds crispy guanciale and Pecorino Romano for extra flavour while keeping the recipe very traditional.

Author

Agostino Fraschetta

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

4

Category

Lunch

Cuisine

Italian

Ingredients

• 320g short pasta
• 120g Whole Guanciale (shop here), diced
• 80g Pecorino Romano Cheese (shop here), grated
• 300g peas
• 1 small onion
• 1 Lt Extra Virgin Olive Oil (shop here)
• Salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Peel and finely chop the onion.
2. Cook it gently in a little olive oil until soft.
3. Add the diced guanciale and cook until lightly crisp.
4. Stir in the peas and add a splash of water.
5. Simmer until the peas are tender.
6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.
7. Reserve a little pasta water, then drain the pasta.
8. Toss the pasta with the peas and guanciale mixture.
9. Add the Pecorino Romano and a splash of pasta water to make it creamy.
10. Season with black pepper and serve immediately.