Marille with peas is a creamy tomato pasta with smoky bacon, sweet green peas and mascarpone, ready in about 35 minutes. It feeds 4, and since marille pasta is discontinued, you make it with large gomiti or rigatoni instead.
Why This Recipe Works
Frying the bacon in butter until it turns crisp does two jobs at once. The fat that melts out becomes the base of the sauce, and the crisp bits stay chewy and smoky instead of going soft.
Tomatoes and peas only need 5 minutes together in the pan. A short cook keeps the peas bright green and sweet, and it keeps the tomato taste fresh instead of flat.
Mascarpone goes in at the end, over low heat. Stir only until it melts, so the sauce turns smooth and creamy and never splits or turns greasy. Tossing the drained pasta with the Parmesan at the very end helps the sauce cling to every piece.
Marille with Peas Ingredients
- 2 ounces butter
- 5 ounces smoked bacon, rind removed and cut into strips
- 1 (1-pound) carton or bottle passata or chopped tomatoes, or 4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 7 ounces frozen petits pois or small fresh peas
- 13 ounces marille, gomiti or rigatoni (fresh or dried)
- 8 basil leaves, shredded
- 5 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Marille with Peas
Make the sauce base
- Crisp the bacon: Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon strips and fry until crisp, so the fat melts out and flavors the butter.
- Add tomatoes and peas: Pour in the passata or chopped tomatoes and add the petits pois. Cook for 5 minutes, until the peas are tender and bright. Fresh peas need longer: cover the pan and cook them for 15 minutes.
Cook the pasta and finish
- Boil the pasta: Cook the 13 ounces of marille, gomiti or rigatoni, fresh or dried, in a large pot of salted boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente. Start it while the sauce simmers, so both are ready together.
- Melt in the mascarpone: Stir the shredded basil and mascarpone into the sauce. Keep stirring just until the cheese melts and the sauce is warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss and serve: Drain the pasta and tip it into the sauce. Add the Parmesan and mix well, so every piece is coated in the creamy tomato sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Use a big pan: Pick a skillet or pot wide enough to hold the sauce and the pasta together. Tossing is easier and the sauce coats the pasta evenly.
- Taste before salting: Bacon and Parmesan are both salty. Season at the end, after the cheese goes in, so the dish does not turn too salty.
- Choose pasta that holds sauce: Gomiti and rigatoni have hollows and ridges that trap the creamy sauce and the peas. Smooth, thin shapes let it slide off.
- Keep the heat low for mascarpone: Turn the burner down before you add it. High heat can make mascarpone grainy instead of silky.
What To Serve With Marille with Peas
Serve the pasta hot, straight from the pan, with extra Parmesan and a few fresh basil leaves on top. A crisp green salad with a sharp lemon dressing and a loaf of crusty bread round out the table.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm the pasta in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water or milk, stirring often, until hot all the way through. The sauce thickens as it cools, and the liquid loosens it again.
- Freezer: Cream-based pasta can turn grainy after freezing, so it is best eaten within a few days.
FAQs
What can I use instead of marille pasta?
Marille is discontinued, so use large gomiti or rigatoni. Both have hollows and ridges that hold the sauce and the peas. Any similar short, tubular or curved shape works too.
Can I use fresh peas instead of frozen?
Yes. Use small fresh peas in the same amount. Cover the pan and cook them for 15 minutes with the tomatoes, instead of the 5 minutes frozen petits pois need.
Can I make this pasta without bacon?
You can leave the bacon out for a meatless version, but the dish loses its smoky flavor. Cook the tomatoes and peas in the butter as written, and add a little extra salt and Parmesan to make up for it.
Why did my sauce turn grainy or oily?
The heat was probably too high when the mascarpone went in. Lower the heat first, and stir only until the cheese melts. Stirring in the Parmesan off the heat also helps keep the sauce smooth.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 850 kcal
- Total Fat: 42g
- Total Carbohydrate: 84g
- Dietary Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 30g
Marille with Peas
4
servings10
minutes25
minutes35
minutesPasta in a creamy tomato sauce with crisp smoked bacon, sweet peas, basil and mascarpone, finished with Parmesan. A quick weeknight dinner for 4, made with large gomiti or rigatoni.
Ingredients
2 ounces butter
5 ounces smoked bacon, rind removed and cut into strips
1 (1-pound) carton or bottle passata or chopped tomatoes, or 4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
7 ounces frozen petits pois or small fresh peas
13 ounces marille, gomiti or rigatoni (fresh or dried)
8 basil leaves, shredded
5 ounces mascarpone cheese
3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Crisp the bacon: Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon strips and fry until crisp, so the fat melts out and flavors the butter.
- Add tomatoes and peas: Pour in the passata or chopped tomatoes and add the petits pois. Cook for 5 minutes, until the peas are tender and bright. Fresh peas need longer: cover the pan and cook them for 15 minutes.
- Boil the pasta: Cook the 13 ounces of marille, gomiti or rigatoni, fresh or dried, in a large pot of salted boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente. Start it while the sauce simmers, so both are ready together.
- Melt in the mascarpone: Stir the shredded basil and mascarpone into the sauce. Keep stirring just until the cheese melts and the sauce is warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss and serve: Drain the pasta and tip it into the sauce. Add the Parmesan and mix well, so every piece is coated in the creamy tomato sauce.
