Chef John’s BLT Pasta

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Description

If you can’t decide whether to make a BLT sandwich or a pasta, now you can do both. The combination of bacon, lettuce, and tomato has a proven track record of deliciousness!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ pound bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • ⅔ cup creme fraiche
  • 2 cups ditalini pasta
  • 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
  • 4 cups baby arugula, coarsely chopped
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, or to taste (Optional)

Instructions

  1. Pour olive oil into a heavy skillet over medium heat
  2. add bacon
  3. and cook until almost crisp
  4. 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat. Hold a paper towel with tongs and mop up excess bacon grease with the paper towel
  5. leave about 2 teaspoons bacon grease in the skillet.
  6. Stir minced garlic and lemon zest into bacon in the skillet and let cook in residual heat until fragrant
  7. 2 to 3 minutes. Stir creme fraiche into the bacon mixture.
  8. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and stir in ditalini. Cook until tender
  9. about 8 minutes. Drain and add pasta to the skillet. Stir pasta thoroughly into bacon and creme fraiche mixture.
  10. Return skillet to medium heat. Add tomatoes; cook and stir until slightly softened
  11. about 1 minute. Mix in arugula
  12. stirring until wilted
  13. about 30 seconds
  14. and turn off heat.
  15. Season with salt
  16. black pepper
  17. and cayenne pepper. Stir again and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 40 mins

Servings: 4

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