Pasta is the perfect meal for when you're in a rush, or feel like doing the bare minimum in the kitchen. This creamy pancetta pasta is a tasty solution to your weekday lunches and dinners, taking only 15 minutes to make. With an easy to make creamy sauce [perfect for when your pantry stock is running low on sauce] , packed with the saltiness we know and love from pancetta (or bacon!), you'll have a hard time resisting this pasta straight from the pan. All that you'll need is cheesy garlic toast, and you're in carb heaven.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It is a great way to use leftover grape tomatoes! If you have ever bought a container of grape tomatoes, and let them get a little bit shrivelled up, and less than fresh, this pasta sauce is the perfect use! The tomatoes burst into a perfectly tangy, creamy sauce, so those less than perfect tomatoes are ideal!
- It is a quick pasta dish! Whether you are looking for a work-from-home lunch, or an easy dinner, this pasta is effortless and quick. In the time it takes for your pasta to cook, the sauce is ready to go.
- The flavours are perfectly balanced! With the right mix of tanginess from the tomatoes, saltiness from the pancetta, and spice from the red chilli flakes, this pasta is a flavour explosion!
Recipe Overview
Flavour: Think of your favourite rosé sauce. Now think of your favourite rosé sauce with crispy pieces of salty pancetta, with a kick of spice at the end. That is this pasta! You can make this pasta as spicy as you wish, with the addition of extra red chilli flakes.
Ease: If you can throw ingredients into a skillet, you can make this pasta. This pasta is foolproof, with no special methods or cooking tools required.
Time: This pasta is ready in 15 minutes! By the time your pasta is al dente, your sauce is ready to go.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Rotini pasta: I enjoy this type of sauce with a short pasta, like rotini. Rotini is a great choice because it has lots of
White onion: If you are apprehensive about pieces of onion, it cooks down perfectly by the time the sauce is done cooking. You may substitute with shallots if you prefer a mellow flavour, or omit altogether if you prefer.
Pancetta: Pancetta generally comes pre-cooked either in a slab, in slices, or already cubed. If you cannot find pancetta, you can substitute thick-cut bacon that is cut into lardons (strips). You may also use guanciale, which is an Italian cured pork product.
Grape tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are ideal, as when they cook, their skins burst. You may also use cherry tomatoes, as they react similarly when cooked. I would avoid using a regular, chopped tomato, as the seeds will overpower the sauce.
Tomato paste: Tomato paste is the perfect tomato concentrate, that adds to the sauce. Because grape tomatoes have a very mellow flavour, the tomato paste is important to add extra depth to the sauce. Tomato paste in a tube is the best purchase, because finding a use for a whole can of tomato paste is next to impossible!
Heavy cream: For creaminess, you need cream! To lighten it up, you can use half and half cream instead. That is the lowest fat percentage I would recommend for this sauce. Milk will not give you the same creamy consistency and flavour.
Spices and seasonings: You will need dried oregano and red chilli flakes for this paste. You can customize the spice level according to your tolerance and spice preference, by adding less or more. You may also add Calabrian chilli paste for an extra flair.
Instructions
- Boil pasta: In a pot of liberally salted water, boil your your pasta until al dente. Reserve a ¼ cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.
- Saute pancetta and onions: In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, crisp the pancetta with no oil. Once the pancetta is almost done, add the onions and cook down.
- Blister tomatoes: Add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan, and turn the heat up to medium-high heat. The skins of the tomatoes will soften. Once the skin is softened, gently press down on the tomatoes with your spoon. Stand back when doing this! You do not want to be splattered with tomato juice - I speak from experience. Once the skin is blistered, the tomatoes should squeeze down with little resistance.
- Add tomato paste and spices: Add the tomato paste and spices to the pan. Let the tomato paste cook through for 1-2 minutes, to eliminate any raw flavour. Add the heavy cream, and stir well.
- Mix and serve: Add the pasta to the skillet, and toss well. Serve with torn bocconcini cheese, and a drizzle of basil pesto.
Expert Tip
Start the pancetta in a cold pan! Put the pancetta in a cold pan, and then turn the hight onto medium heat. The pancetta will render fat more evenly, and will result in super crispy bites!
Recipe FAQs
Pancetta is Italian cured pork belly. Pancetta has a very savoury flavour, as it is salt-cured generally for days or weeks.
Bacon is a smoked pork product, whereas pancetta is salt-cured. Before you can consume bacon, you ave to cook it. Pancetta can be eaten both ways, as it is cured for days to weeks (always check the packaging to confirm). They both have savoury, salty flavours.
You can make this pasta up to 2 days in advance. To heat, you may want to add some additional cream to the pasta to moisten it, as it may get dry while in the refrigerator.
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Creamy Pancetta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb Rotini pasta
- ½ Yellow onion finely diced
- 9 oz Pancetta cubed
- 2 cups Grape tomatoes whole
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Chilli flakes
- ½ cup Heavy cream
Instructions
- Boil pasta: In a pot of liberally salted water, boil your your pasta until al dente. Reserve a ¼ cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.
- Saute pancetta and onions: In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, crisp the pancetta with no oil. Once the pancetta is almost done, add the onions and cook down.
- Blister tomatoes: Add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan, and turn the heat up to medium-high heat. The skins of the tomatoes will soften. Once the skin is softened, gently press down on the tomatoes with your spoon.
- Add tomato paste and spices: Add the tomato paste and spices to the pan. Let the tomato paste cook through for 1-2 minutes, to eliminate any raw flavour. Add the heavy cream, and stir well.
- Mix and serve: Add the pasta to the skillet, and toss well. Serve with torn bocconcini cheese, and a drizzle of basil pesto.
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