Pancetta Pasta with Tomatoes (25-Minute Meal!)

Salty, sweet, and fresh --- that's what you will get in every bite of Pancetta Pasta with Tomatoes.  A pasta dish that's packed with flavor and ready in less than thirty minutes!

Pancetta makes everything better.  

Add it to pasta and tomatoes, and you'll have a delicious dish that ticks all the boxes for 'comfort food.'

Don't think it's all salt and tomatoes in the pancetta sauce, though.

You've got the freshness from the basil and a hint of heat from the chili flakes, as well.

Trust me; one serving of pancetta pasta will not be enough. 🙂

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Ingredients

• Olive oil - us extra virgin olive oil, if possible.

• Garlic - thinly sliced for this pancetta pasta recipe.

• Pancetta - cut it into small bits.

• Crushed tomatoes - I generally just use canned crushed tomatoes when making pasta with pancetta and tomatoes.

• Basil - a handful of fresh basil leaves.

• Pasta - as you can see in the image above, I used linguine for this pancetta pasta recipe, but you can use any type of pasta that you want.

• Seasoning - chili flakes, salt, and ground black pepper

Preparation

Start preparing your pancetta pasta by boiling salted water on a pot.

Cook your preferred pasta as instructed in the package.

While cooking the pasta, start with your pancetta tomato sauce by placing a medium or a large pan over medium-high heat.

Pour the olive oil and add the chopped pancetta; no need to heat the oil.

Cook the pancetta until they turn crunchy on the edges.

Add the garlic.

Mix and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Add the crushed tomatoes, chili flake, salt, pepper, and fresh basil.

Mix, cover with a lid and adjust heat to medium.

Simmer for eight to ten minutes, and taste and adjust the seasoning.

By this time, the pasta would be ready --- add the pasta directly into the sauce.

Mix to combine evenly.

Transfer your pancetta pasta with tomatoes on plates and garnish with your favorite cheese and more fresh basil, if desired.

Helpful tips

• You can chop the pancetta slightly bigger if you want.  

Just make sure it's thin, so it does not take long to get it crunchy on the edges.

• Feel free to mince the garlic --- just adjust the heat so they don't burn quickly.

• Add a bit of pasta water if you think it's a bit dry after mixing the cooked pasta.

• Remember to go easy on the salt since pancetta is already salty.

If you intend to use some pasta water, keep in mind that it's also salted.

Recipe variation

• Bacon.  In case you cannot find any pancetta, bacon is an excellent alternative for this pancetta pasta recipe.

• Dried basil. Feel free to replace fresh basil with dried basil if that's what you have on hand.

• Chunky tomatoes. You can use chunky tomatoes instead of crushed ones, but make sure you add some pasta water in the end to coat the pasta with pancetta evenly.

• Cheese. I use ricotta salata in this pancetta pasta recipe because that is what I have on hand. However, feel free to use your favorite hard cheese, like parmesan.

Cannot wait to find out how it tastes?  Give this pancetta pasta recipe a try this week, and let me know! 🙂

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📖 Recipe