Quick, easy and deliciously springlike: Labneh Pasta with Peas and Bacon

Pasta tossed with tangy labneh, lemon juice, peas and bacon is a creamy, weeknight-quick meal that tastes like spring. Recipe below.

LABNEH FIRST APPEARED ON THE BLUE KITCHEN MENU TWO WEEKS AGO, as the main ingredient of our Ramadan-inspired vegetarian Labneh Sandwiches. Having leftover labneh inspired us to make this creamy, tangy pasta dish—and we’re ready to make it again.

Labneh is a Middle Eastern soft cheese made from strained yogurt. It is tangy, creamy and spreadable, similar in texture to cream cheese, but with about half the fat. Increasingly, you can find it in grocery stores, especially those with Middle Eastern clientele. If you absolutely can’t find labneh, you can substitute full-fat Greek yogurt.

The peas and lemon juice and zest give this dish a springlike brightness and lightness. The crumbled bacon balances the tangy ingredients with savory, smoky bites. The end result is a weeknight-quick, light, satisfying meal.

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Labneh Pasta with Peas and Bacon

Pasta tossed with tangy labneh, lemon juice, peas and bacon is a creamy, weeknight-quick meal that tastes like spring.

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 8 ounces linguine or other long pasta
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3/4 cup labneh (or use full-fat Greek yogurt—see Kitchen Notes)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus a little more
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on a paper towel; crumble the bacon when it has cooled.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. About 3 minutes before it’s done, stir in frozen peas. When pasta is ready, drain it, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Return pasta and peas to pot.
• Add labneh, lemon zest and lemon juice to pasta and toss to combine. Add pasta water a bit at a time to loosen up the labneh, as needed. Add 3/4 cup Parmesan, bacon and a generous grind of pepper, and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt.
• Divide between 2 shallow pasta bowls and top with a little more Parmesan. Serve.

Kitchen Notes

Labneh substitute. If you absolutely can’t find labneh, you can substitute full-fat Greek yogurt. Labneh is thicker than Greek yogurt, so you’ll probably need less pasta water to thin it.

Liz’s Crockery Corner. The beautiful, spring-appropriate soup plate above has been featured in the Crockery Corner before. You’ll find its story here.