A zesty five ingredient lemon pasta recipe that's one of my favorites to throw together when I'm short on time. It's so quick and easy to make!
Here are the ingredients you'll need: – 1 bag of tortellini – 6-8 slices of pancetta – 1 bag frozen peas – lemon – 1 bag of frozen peas mascarpone cheese
Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Follow pasta's package directions for cooking al dente.
While you're waiting for the pasta to cook, fry the pancetta in a large saute pan until crispy. Remove and set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess fat just as you might do for bacon.
Add the frozen peas to the same sauté pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until warm. The peas should get nicely coated with the fond (bacon drippings) left over from the pancetta.
Add the mascarpone cheese to a large bowl and grate the lemon peel over it with a zester. Then, slice the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl with cheese making sure to remove any rogue lemon seeds.
Whisk the mascarpone cheese, lemon zest and juice with a fork.
Add the cooked pasta and peas to the bowl with the lemon mascarpone and stir together. The heat from the freshly cooked pasta should melt the mascarpone cheese nicely.
Crumble up the crispy pancetta with your fingers and sprinkle over the pasta, mixing it all together.