Pasta is and will forever be a love of mine. I’ve said it a million times but really there are so many combinations of ingredients and flavors so really you can never be bored. This Linguini with Pancetta & Fresh Tomato is basically an elevated take on pasta with garlic and oil. The ingredients are few and simple but wow is this a delicious meal!
Whether you are looking for a comfort meal or need to get dinner on the table quickly this Linguini with Pancetta & Fresh Tomato is a dish I highly recommend you giving a try- like ASAP! Pasta with garlic and oil is a classic quick Italian dish that we LOVE but I wanted to kick up the flavor just a bit and let me tell you, I could eat this once a week. It is so good!
I love love love pancetta- think an Italian version of bacon. Diced, cooked with some olive oil and crushed red pepper flake until golden brown and crisp- this stuff is a great base to get a ton of amazing flavor into a dish. Another great option here is diced prosciutto. Once the pancetta is crisp I add in a good helping on sliced garlic until just fragrant. Then goes some fresh diced tomato and lots of fresh chopped parsley.
The colors are stunning aren’t they?! I let that all just simmer for about 5 minutes allowing the flavor of the tomatoes, garlic, pancetta and parsley to permeate the olive oil. A little tip- try to remove some of the seeds from the tomatoes when you are dicing them.
Thats it- so simple right? In the sauté pan you cooked the sauce add the linguini or other long strand of pasta that’s cooked just shy of al dente. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce allowing it to really absorb all that goodness. When cooking pasta always reserve a little bit of the starchy salted cooking liquid from boiling the pasta. If the pasta feels a little dry you can add a bit of water and a drizzle of olive oil.
- 4 oz diced pancetta
- Olive oil
- Crushed red pepper
- 1 large tomato (or a few plum tomatoes) small dice
- 6 cloves garlic chopped
- Handful of chopped fresh parsley
- 1 lb dried linguini
- Bring a big pot of water up to a boil. Season with a few big pinches of salt once a boil is reached.
- In the meantime, in a large sauté pan add enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Add in the diced pancetta and a pinch or two of crushed pepper flakes and cook until the pancetta is golden and crisp.
- Add in the fresh tomato, garlic and parsley. Simmer while your pasta is cooking.
- Reserve some of the cooking liquid. Pull the linguini out of the water a minute or two shy of the al dente cooking time on the package. Toss in the pan with the sauce and cook for a minute or two.
- If a little dry you can add a little bit of the cooking liquid and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
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