Stanley Tucci’s Pancetta & Pea Pasta Casserole Pressure Cooker Recipe
Stanley Tucci's Pancetta & Pea Pasta Casserole is filled with a creamy béchamel, fresh parmesan cheese, sweet peas, and seared pancetta. This dish combines simple ingredients perfectly: creamy pasta and béchamel, bright fresh peas, smoky pancetta, and sweet cooked onions and garlic, making a comforting and elegant casserole.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 16 ounces farfalle pasta or other shortcut pasta
- Olive oil for cooking onions and tossing pasta
- 10 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups frozen peas thawed
- 0.5 cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
- 3 tablespoons butter cut into cubes
- fresh lemon juice for topping
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted for béchamel sauce
- 3 tablespoons flour for béchamel sauce
- 2.5 cups milk for béchamel sauce
- 0.5 teaspoon salt for béchamel sauce
- 0.25 teaspoon pepper for béchamel sauce
Instructions
Instructions
- Cook your farfalle pasta in boiling salted water until just al dente. Drain and toss lightly with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, then set aside.
- Make the béchamel sauce by melting butter in a pan, whisking in flour to make a roux, then slowly adding milk while whisking until thickened. Add salt and pepper, then remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a casserole dish by greasing it lightly with oil or butter. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the pancetta for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add diced onions, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes until onions are soft. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute while stirring. Remove from heat.
- Pour pasta into casserole dish, add the pancetta/onion mixture and thawed peas. Pour béchamel sauce on top and mix well to combine.
- Top with parmesan cheese and small cubes of butter. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 20 minutes or keep warm in oven until ready to serve.
- Once removed from oven, let the dish stand for 5 minutes, then serve warm with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on top.
Notes
Use bacon instead of pancetta if preferred. Substitute frozen peas with fresh in season. Try whole wheat or gluten-free pasta for dietary needs. For quicker preparation, toss sauce ingredients directly into the pressure cooker with pasta and pancetta, monitoring cooking times closely. Leftovers keep 3-4 days refrigerated or can be frozen for longer storage.