Ingredients

Pasta

• 1 lb parsnips, peeled, thinly sliced
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup whole milk
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 lb short pasta, such as gemelli, fusilli, casarecce or penne
• 6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1/3-inch small cubes
• 1 cup frozen sweet green peas

Toppings

• ½ bag veggie medley chips
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• ⅓ cup chopped parsley

Directions

• Bring parsnips, cream, milk, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, 10–15 minutes. While the parsnip simmers, bring a large pot of water to boil.
• Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally until the fat has rendered out and the bacon is cooked and slightly crispy (It will crisp up a bit further as it cools). Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water, along with 1 tablespoon salt, and cook until al dente. Transfer the cooked bacon to the paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Once the parsnips are very soft, season with salt and butter. Purée in a blender with the parsnip cooking liquid, until smooth.
• Drain pasta and return to pot, add the puree, bacon bits and peas, gently stir everything together until well combined, return to a low heat, cover and let sit for about 10 minutes, just to warm the peas through.
• Pulse reserved 4 garlic cloves in a food processor until finely chopped, about 15 seconds. Add chips and process in long pulses until coarse crumbs form, about 1 minute. Heat butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium until a little foamy. Add chip mixture and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until mixture is coated in butter and fragrant, tossing every 5 minutes, until chips are toasted about 10 minutes. Let topping cool in pan, then add parsley. To serve, transfer pasta to a large bowl and sprinkle topping over.