Monday, March 9, 2009

Fabulous Bacon and Tomato Pasta


My husband and I love pasta so we try new pasta recipes very often. I had never had bacon in my pasta before so I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but wow, seriously, it was one of the best ever! It calls for a little bit of red chili flakes so there is a little bite to it but if you don't like the spice, you can definitely go without it.


Bacon and Tomato Pasta

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 16 ounces spaghetti pasta (I used rainbow pasta. You can use any kind of pasta, it will taste the same.)
  • 1 pound thick-cut bacon or pancetta, chopped (I used about 1 cup of Costco brand bacon - already cooked and chopped)
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup red onion, diced (I didn't use onions since my husband abhors onions.)
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 3 tablespoons garlic, minced (I recommend fresh garlic, they taste way better than the ones that come in a jar.)
  • 2 cups Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 4 tablespoons basil, chiffonade
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
I also added

1 teaspoon rosemary flakes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup Italian cheese grated

Direction:

In a large stock pot, boil 3 quarts of water, when boiling add 2 tablespoons kosher salt and the pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add bacon and saute until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon to drain on a paper towel-lined plate and remove 3/4 of the bacon fat from the pan. In the same pan, saute garlic, red chili flakes, and onions in extra-virgin olive oil. (I added smoked paprika, rosemary flakes, and Italian seasoning. It tasted fantastic!) Cook until onions are translucent, for about 2 minutes then add tomatoes. Saute for 5 minutes, then deglaze with wine. (I added Italian cheese and cooked it for 1 more minute until the cheese melted.)

Drain pasta and add to the tomato mixture pan. Add basil and bacon. Toss with Parmesan, and add salt and pepper, to taste.

Recipe Courtesy Guy Fieri

2 comments:

  1. I'm so glad to hear you had some success! I do like his recipes ....

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  2. Thank you! It did turn out so good! I went to his restaurant last week and loved it so I decided to try his recipe at home. :)

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