As a vegetarian, something I get asked a lot is.. “Do you miss bacon?”. The honest answer is, “Yes, sometimes”. However, since the arrival of Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces, I think I’ve found a wonderful Bacon alternative. I’ve mostly been scoffing it in Breakfasts and Brunches, however, I thought I’d use it in my favourite Jamie Oliver recipe, and it works beautifully. My Creamy Cheese and Pea Pasta with Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces is perfect for the whole family.
We’ve made it a few times for “family dinner” because it’s a great dish to serve in a massive bowl and everyone can help themselves! This Creamy Cheese and Pea Pasta with Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces can be made fully vegetarian if you get a veggie ‘hard cheese’ alternative to Parmesan. Most of the ‘value’ ones in the chilled section are.
You can use whatever pasta you fancy, small Conchiglie shells are awesome, for little mouths, but any kind of pasta will do the trick. Creamy Cheese and Pea Pasta with Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces is a pretty quick dish to create too, you get the bulk of it done while the pasta is boiling.
The awesome thing about the Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces is you can give them a good fry to crisp them up a bit for a slight ‘pancetta’ vibe. If your kids are funny about that, just cook it through instead.
Anyway here’s how you make this awesome Creamy Cheese and Pea Pasta with Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces.
Creamy Cheese and Pea Pasta with Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces Ingredients
1 Pack (175g) Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces
300g – 400g Pasta (Depends on how hungry you are!)
300g Frozen Peas
100g of Vegetarian Parmesan (Grated) (Tesco Everyday Value Italian Style Hard Cheese is GREAT!)
150g of Cheddar (Grated)
2 Dessert Spoons of Crème Fraîche (try to avoid the low fat stuff)
Juice from one Lemon
Splash of Oil
Dash of Pepper
Creamy Cheese and Pea Pasta with Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces Method
1 – Get your water boiling for the Pasta
2 – Put the oil in a pan start and heat on a moderate setting – once the pan is hot add the Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces.
3 – Get the Pasta cooking – it should be ready as by the time the rest of the dish is done!
3 – After 6 minutes or so put the peas into the pan with the Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces and mix it well.
4 – Let them cook together for a minute or two and then add the Crème Fraîche – give it a good stir in.
5 – Chuck in the Cheddar Cheese and mix it all together.
6 – By now hopefully the pasta is cooked – turn the heat down on the Cheesy / Pea / Bacon mix and drain the pasta – keep a bit of the pasta water aside if your mix is looking too stodgy.
7 – Chuck the cooked pasta into the pan with your mix and give a good stir – add the pasta water if need be.
8 – Stir in the Parmesan and Lemon Juice and let it cook for a minute or so, and you’re done!
I really hope you like this Creamy Cheese and Pea Pasta with Vivera Veggie Bacon Pieces – let me know if you’ve made it by dropping a comment below!
