Braised peas with lettuce and bacon from Justine Pattison is one of my fall-back lunches when I’m pushed for time, bereft of inspiration and running low on ingredients. The combination of the smoked bacon, chicken stock, gem lettuce and peas is surprisingly tasty and can be knocked up in 10 minutes.
On its own, this recipe is only 239 calories per serving and Justine suggests you can serve it with some thin slices of French bread or ciabatta or some plain grilled chicken. I don’t think it needs it but it’s up to you.
Recipe: Braised peas with lettuce and bacon
Calories: 239 per serving
Serves: 2
Book: Without the Calories – comfort food by Justine Pattison
Prep time: Approx 5 mins
Cooking time: Approx 10 mins
Ingredients:
- 4 rashers smoked back bacon
- 15g butter
- ½ small onion (finely chopped)
- 300g frozen peas
- 175ml chicken stock (made with ½ chicken stock cube)
- 2 baby gem lettuces
- Ground black pepper
Cost per portion: Approx *£1.47 *cost based on Tesco prices – December 2022
Method: Trim all visible fat off the bacon and cut it into 2cm pieces. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a low heat and fry the bacon and onion for 5 minutes until lightly coloured, stirring regularly.
Tip the peas into the pan, add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for a couple of minutes until the peas are tender and hot, stirring occasionally.
While the peas are cooking, trim the lettuces and remove any damaged leaves. Thinly slice the lettuces and separate the leaves.
Add the lettuce to the peas and cook for just a few seconds until the lettuce is softened but maintains its colour. Season with black pepper and serve hot.
Flatten Your Curves 