Pasta alle Sette P, Seven P's Pasta

Pasta alle Sette P is a good Tuscan pasta made with seven ingredients all beginning with the letter P. The creamy tomato sauce is unbelievably good made with leeks, pancetta and peas. This recipe is easy to prepare and can be adapted with what you have at home.

Pasta alle Sette P (seven P's pasta) also known as Pasta ai Sette Peccati (pasta of the 7 sins) is a good Tuscan pasta that uses 7 ingredients all beginning with the letter P (in Italian, of course).

Here's what's in it…

1. Pancetta (unsmoked)
2. Porro (leek)
3. Pomodori Pelati (canned plum tomatoes)
4. Panna (heavy cream)
5. Piselli (peas)
6. Prezzemolo (parsley)
7. Parmigiano Reggiano

There are a few different variations of this recipe, some add in Peperoncino (chilli flakes) for a bit of heat and some use Peperoni (bell peppers) or even Patate (potatoes).

We love this version, it's not a combination of ingredients we'd automatically think of adding together into a sauce but it works well and tastes so good!

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Canned plum tomatoes – you can also use chopped tomatoes such as Mutti Polpa or passata (known as tomato puree in the US).
• Cream – for a lighter version you can skip the cream altogether. add some pasta water to the tomato sauce if it reduces too much.

Visual walk-through of the recipe

1. Fry the pancetta – add a light drizzle of olive oil to a pan and fry the pancetta until lightly golden then add the chopped leek and cook until soft (photos 1-3).

1. Add tomatoes – once softened, add the tomatoes. You can either crush them by hand before adding them or use the side of a wooden spoon to crush them in the pan (photo 4).
2. Add the cream – add the cream and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pasta to boiling salted water at this point and continue to simmer the sauce for another 10 minutes (photos 5 and 6).

1. Add the peas, parsley and cheese – about 2-3 minutes before the pasta is ready, add the peas and parsley to the sauce and stir through. Add the cooked penne pasta to the sauce with the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and toss to coat in the sauce then serve (photos 7 and 8).

More good pasta recipes to try

Sauces & Dressings

Sugo Finto (Vegetable Sauce)

Gnocchi

Spicy Sausage Baked Gnocchi

Pasta

Pasta alla Zozzona (Roman 'Dirty Pasta')

Pasta

Pasta With Pancetta, Ricotta and Tomato

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 14 oz (400g) Penne pasta ((or other short pasta))
• 1 scant cup (125g) unsmoked pancetta (cubed)
• 1 leek
• 14 oz (400g) canned plum tomatoes
• ½ cup (110ml) heavy cream ((double cream UK))
• 1 small handful fresh parsley (finely chopped)
• 1/2 cup (70g) frozen peas
• ½ cup (30g) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Salt
• Olive oil

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Cut the leek in half lengthways and rinse it under cold running water. Pat it dry and finely slice it.

2. Heat a large pan on a medium heat and add a light drizzle of olive oil. Add the cubed pancetta and fry until slightly browned.

3. Once browned, add the sliced leek and saute it until soft. Add the plum tomatoes, breaking them up in the pan with the side of a wooden spoon (you can also crush them by hand before adding).

4. Add the cream to the tomatoes and stir everything together with a pinch of salt. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes then add the pasta to the salted boiling water to cook (until al dente). Continue to simmer the sauce gently for another 10 minutes (15 minutes total).

5. About 2-3 minutes before the pasta is ready, add the frozen peas and finely chopped parsley to the sauce and stir them through. Add the pasta with the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and toss to coat in the sauce.

6. Serve with extra grated Parmigiano on top.