pasta

mini shell pasta with a creamy smoked bacon and pea sauce

servings
4-6

method

This is one of the dishes I cook for my kids, but to be honest, it’s so good that me and Jools always eat it too! Mini pasta shells are actually meant to be added to soups, but they’re quick and easy to cook, which makes them a good thing to serve with pasta sauces. All in all this should take you no more than five and a half minutes to cook. However, if you decide to go for a bigger type of pasta, remember that it will need more time to cook than these mini shells.

To prepare your pasta
• Finely slice the bacon
• Pick the mint leaves and discard the stalks
• Finely grate the Parmesan

To cook your pasta
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and drop in the stock cube (if using)
• Stir until it’s dissolved, then add the mini shells and cook according to the packet instructions
• Get a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a good lug of olive oil and the butter
• Add the bacon to the pan, sprinkle a little pepper over and fry until golden and crisp
• Meanwhile, finely chop your mint leaves
• As soon as the bacon is golden, add your frozen peas and give the pan a good shake
• After a minute or so, add the crème fraîche and chopped mint to the bacon and peas
• Drain the pasta in a colander over a large bowl, reserving some of the cooking water
• Add the pasta to the frying pan
• Halve your lemon and squeeze the juice over the pasta
• When it’s all bubbling away nicely, remove from the heat
• The sauce should be creamy and delicious but if it’s too thick for you, add a splash of the reserved cooking water to thin it out a bit
• Add the grated Parmesan and give the pan a shake to mix it in

To serve your pasta
• Divide your pasta between plates or bowls, or put it on the table in a large serving dish and let everyone help themselves
• Lovely with a simply dressed green salad

• from Jamie's Ministry of Food

ingredients

• 10 slices smoked streaky bacon or pancetta, preferably free-range or organic
• a small bunch of fresh mint
• 150g Parmesan cheese
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
optional: 1 chicken stock cube, preferably organic
• 400g dried mini shell pasta
• olive oil
• a knob of butter
• 300g frozen peas
• 2 heaped dessertspoons crème fraîche
• 1 lemon

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tried this recipe or a similar one? share your tips...

1. by James on Sun 04 Dec 2011 @ 17:34

I'm having this for my supper this evening.<br /> Barb: Sainsbury's do mini-pasta shells.

2. by Barb on Tue 27 Sep 2011 @ 18:35

I want to thank you for all you're doing to change the diets in our schools and for all people, young and old. By 5yr. old grandson (tomorrow) will no longer eat chicken nuggets (I told him about your show), talks about what snacks are junk food and will only eat chichen at certain restaurants. You are definitely making a difference !!<br />

3. by Barb on Tue 27 Sep 2011 @ 18:27

I cannot find mini shells anywhere ! Who makes them and where would you suggest I go to find them. My grandson would love them !!<br /> I would love this dish too....I love pea salad made with onions and tomatoe and early peas !

4. by Jen on Sun 07 Aug 2011 @ 17:42

Love it Jamie! Perfect recipe for a quick easy meal, and really tasy too :)

5. by megan on Mon 11 Jul 2011 @ 20:45

hello, i am 13. i am cooking this for my parents and sister this weekend. has anyone got any tips?

6. by sue on Wed 01 Jun 2011 @ 18:19

I love this recipe, but what starter would compliment this, as Im doing this as the main course......any suggestion?

7. by Letícia on Fri 29 Apr 2011 @ 20:32

Hi Jamie, congratulations to your initiative in this food revolution. I'm from Brazil (Sao Paulo) and I love your pasta recipes!! this one I would like to try using cream cheese instead of creme fraich, some basil and "salsa" instead of mint, but I'm afraid of getting wrong in the recipe. But I will try it!! I remember that you said in some video that we can use any other kind of herbs or ingredients, and that cook is this, to invent, to innovate. Thanks very much to teach us how to cook and eat healthly food. Sucess a lot!! kisssess from your fan in Brazil.

8. by Jooee on Tue 19 Apr 2011 @ 16:07

You can feel very proud of what you have done regarding people's diets. I do cook much of what we eat from scratch but I know many don't.<br /> I have been forced to knock-up a Thai prawn curry a la "Jamie" because of my son watching your 30 minute dinners. Tasty and one I will cook again.

9. by JL on Thu 07 Apr 2011 @ 04:26

If you cant find creme fraiche then use sour cream, it tastes exactly the same

10. by Lee Doyle on Tue 29 Mar 2011 @ 18:03

hi jamie . im a chef and i tried this recipe with rocket along with the pasta . it slightly wilted in the heat of the pasta and thye peppery taste was fantastic !!!!!!

11. by Dianne on Sun 11 Apr 2010 @ 04:09

This dish was delish! I loved it. My 9-year-old son loved it, and I even got my 7-year-old son to eat it, and he HATES peas. He has never eaten peas until today. It was a bit of a struggle, but at least the taste of the peas was hidden by the other ingredients for the most part.

On another note, I am on the band wagon to prepare all of our meals. I'm done with prepackaged meals. I love that I am controlling the quality of ingredients going into our bodies and without all the added junk like MSG other ingredients that I don't know what it is. If I can't identify it, then we're not eating it!

Thanks Jamie for this tasty meal and for what you are doing. This really is a revolution.

12. by Mary on Wed 17 Mar 2010 @ 06:44

I just love this recipe and the mint just makes it spectacular, a surprisingly wonderful refreshing taste for pasta. I recommend everyone try it with the mint, make the effort to get it. I loved it so much I now grow my own mint just for this recipe.

13. by Katie on Thu 25 Feb 2010 @ 04:36

Just made this for dinner and it was absolutely incredible! The market did not have mint, so we used dill, and I used full fat Greek yogurt instead of creme fraiche. It was heavenly! Thanks, Jamie!

14. by Brian on Wed 20 Jan 2010 @ 22:33

Hi
I live in Canada and Creme Fraiche is not available at my local supermarket. Is there anything I can use as a substitute?
Thanks.

15. by Janine Bentley on Fri 02 Oct 2009 @ 13:59

This is the best pasta meal ever, so cheap and quick. I have to be honest I dont put the mint in but it still tastes fab!

16. by susan hancock on Sun 16 Aug 2009 @ 04:34

Hi Jamie,i would love to make this recipe,i'm from Australia and would like to know what creme fraiche is.thank you

17. by Mattie on Tue 14 Jul 2009 @ 16:29

I made this the other week, and it was delicious!
Just thought that I should made this with much less mint, as like other's said, it really overpowered the taste of the cheese and bacon.
Can't wait to try making it again, with no mint!

18. by holly on Tue 23 Jun 2009 @ 11:47

I make this all the time but dont put the mint in. I also like to add some chicken aswell as the bacon which tastes yum especially with a nice slice of crusty bread. Love your recipes!

19. by Julia on Tue 12 May 2009 @ 21:41

I've recently decided to cook more myself, instead of eating so much fast food, so now I'm in the process of building a small repertoire of quick, easy and not too expensive recipes. Made this for my boyfriend and me, but changed it a bit (substituted turkey bacon for pork bacon and other fresh herbs for the mint). We loved it and I will definitely be making this again. Thanks!

20. by Liz on Mon 20 Apr 2009 @ 14:31

Fantastic! My two year old will eat very few complete dishes...he eats entire toddler sized of this. He ate leftovers this morning for breakfast, his most despised meal of the day. Thanks!!

21. by bandana on Thu 19 Mar 2009 @ 09:31

hia jamie, this recepie soundddddddddd great m gona try this weekenddd,

22. by Tyson Durocher on Wed 18 Mar 2009 @ 17:19

this was a great meal, easy and fast, but one thing is do not use alot of mint it over powers the food. but i made it again and i was great thumbs up for you there Mr. Oliver

23. by redladder on Tue 17 Mar 2009 @ 10:02

yum!

24. by bob geldoff on Mon 16 Mar 2009 @ 12:40

VERRYY GOOD

25. by Kris on Mon 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:57

Jamie,

I loved this dish, A few of my friends have just moved out of home for the first time and I suggested a cooking party, where I help them learn how to prepare and cook real food. And this is the first dish we did.

I've been cooking from scratch for years and think it's best thing anyone can do! I love the ministry of food idea, and this is my way of supporting you! x

26. by ricardo on Mon 16 Mar 2009 @ 10:57

me encanta mucho este programa espero que siga en canal

27. by robert eaton on Fri 13 Mar 2009 @ 15:21

THANKS JAMIE! a great recipy i used it for a party and everyone liked it thanks a lot i owe u one

28. by wimpie on Wed 11 Mar 2009 @ 10:56

hallo,can you make the site in dutch,it will help me much better then now.hhere are things what i do not understand

29. by chris on Tue 10 Mar 2009 @ 16:56

good

30. by Jenn Jenn on Mon 09 Mar 2009 @ 21:14

looks great :D a friend and i are making it for our Home Ec class in the next month or so

31. by Franziska on Fri 06 Mar 2009 @ 04:13

Dear Jamie,
It is as fantastic as everyone before me has said. Thank you so much for sharing this.
I have tried it last night and it is just so fast to make - great!
One recommendation for all who have asked before regarding what to use instead of ham. As I am not eating any pork eather, I am always using air-dried beef instead of bacon. Try it - the taste will be similar to the bacon.

32. by elpe on Wed 25 Feb 2009 @ 17:12

lookc really nice

33. by 123 on Wed 25 Feb 2009 @ 15:03

It taste fantastic! I made it today and everybody likes it. Thanks Jamie ;)

34. by Natasha on Thu 19 Feb 2009 @ 08:51

oh man that looks good. but want to ask one question can you substitute for gluten free, cos i am unable to eat normal wheat food :( lol

35. by Cathie, on Wed 18 Feb 2009 @ 20:00

Voici la recette que Finley nous a préparé - du vrai "comfort food" délicieux!

36. by Dario Crispim on Sun 15 Feb 2009 @ 02:59

Mano vocÃª Ã© o bicho! receitas iradas... suas saladas sÃ£o da hora...}Douglas 100% Rio de Janeiro

37. by ebere on Sat 14 Feb 2009 @ 14:53

i love ur show. i wuld want 2 register 4 a conpetetion

38. by supertatty on Sat 14 Feb 2009 @ 10:49

sounds good

39. by shannon on Fri 13 Feb 2009 @ 17:06

im makeing my mum and her boyfriend a dinner for valitine day and iv used one of your recipes and they loved it thank you!!!!! from shannon

40. by susan jeffs on Fri 13 Feb 2009 @ 14:22

Jamie, I am a single parent who has totally taken yours and Hugh's advice. Have half changed my garden into an allotment, to my 3 year old daughter's delight. Last season i tried really hard and bought the ministry of food book to follow your philosophy even more.
Have you ever considered giving more guidance to the people who have followeed you this far. i am lucky in the respect that my mum has given me alot of advice on chutney making etc. from the produce out of my garden. As obviously you do grow too much, the more options you have with the basics the better.
If at any point you consider this i have a fantastic recipe for tomato, onion and cougette chutney that my friends and family have loved with their sausages and burgers.
Most amount of respect and love to you and the family.
Best wishes, Sue xxx

41. by Peel on Wed 11 Feb 2009 @ 16:54

I tried the pasta last night. I found that it didnt take long to cook but it sure does turn out to make a perfect meal for all of the family!

42. by Neil Thornton on Wed 11 Feb 2009 @ 12:29

I watched Olivers twist on monday 9th February on uktv food & he did a vegetarian cannelloni using marjoram, but can't find it anywhere? Can you help please?

43. by Mary on Tue 10 Feb 2009 @ 17:18

saw you cooking a cannalonii dish on saturday it looked delicious could you please email me the recipe or tell me where i could find it on your site thanks a mill xxx

44. by SAMANTHA and firenza on Thu 05 Feb 2009 @ 14:13

dear jamie oliver,
we are concerned that the food at our college is not healthy . we have a choses of chips, burgers , sausagerolls, pizza. there is a salad bar but it only has one pasta salad opition. we would like more healthy choices
many thanks
Sam and Firenza

45. by hannah on Thu 05 Feb 2009 @ 13:53

this is great :)
ahaha

46. by Nilaakshi on Wed 04 Feb 2009 @ 07:22

hey jamie,
thanks for your recipes and most of all your enthusiasm.its infectiouse.i am plannig to use this recipe when my niece and nephew come to ours in june for holiday.would love to know a substitute for the bacon although i know nothing can beat it.(we've stopped eating pork and eventually give up meat.:( sob.
thanks!

47. by mikuta81 on Wed 04 Feb 2009 @ 00:58

I am from romania and I like a to cook but I don't andarstend english very good ,so if you can translate some recipes in my leanguace thanks very much.or email me.

48. by Ginge on Tue 03 Feb 2009 @ 11:04

Jamie

Bought the book ministry of food. I've used a majority of the meals. I've also passed this recipe ontp a couple of my mates. The best things about this meal is that its quick, easy and the kids love it. Itwent down that well with my 13yr old that he wants it in his pack lunches instead of sandwiches. WINNER, because he's actually eating again.

Saw the pork programme, agree completely we should have proper butchers , grocers and bakers in every settlement in the land.

Keep up the outstanding work.

PS the wife tried the asparagus for the first time and loved it!!!

49. by joebloggs on Fri 30 Jan 2009 @ 12:46

What's a good substitute for Bacon for this meal?

i sadly can't eat bacon...

50. by Marcus on Thu 29 Jan 2009 @ 20:03

Dear Jamie, I made this pasta dish with my mum and it was really nice. My mum is a brilliant cook too. I am looking forward to making the commercial with you next wednesday. Marcus age 8

51. by Fátima on Tue 27 Jan 2009 @ 22:52

I live in Alentejo-Portugal. Here the food is great but your recipes are The Best! Congratulations and thank you Oliver.

52. by Tom Bradley on Fri 23 Jan 2009 @ 12:55

I just loved this dish it was to die for! I love every single recipe on this website, and ill cook them all!

53. by Matthew Millions on Fri 23 Jan 2009 @ 02:03

made this this evening, without the mint and butter. (because the suprmarchet ran out of mint and i forgot the butter!)..

What a nice dish tho..!!

54. by cristina on Thu 22 Jan 2009 @ 05:16

jamie i'm a housewife with 3 kids and i love wacthing your t.v show and i like your recipes very much. thank you for sharing it with us.

55. by Louise Barry on Wed 21 Jan 2009 @ 08:03

I aboslutely love mini shell pasta. I don't get it for dinner every night but when i do i eat every single scrap on my plate. It is my favourite!

56. by bertinho on Mon 19 Jan 2009 @ 19:21

jamie i am a football player in portugal and i like your recipes very much. congratulations.

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