Spaghetti carbonara is the most famous bacon pasta recipe, but far from the only one. Fragrant bacon goes well with pasta, and on the fat melted from it, you can fry onions, garlic, vegetables, enhancing their taste.
Step-by-step recipe for spaghetti carbonara
Spaghetti carbonara is sometimes called charcoal's pasta. The classic recipe is believed to have originated among coal mine workers who needed hearty, cheap food that could be prepared quickly. This paste is generously sprinkled with ground black pepper, which looks like fine coal dust. You will need:
- 400 g spaghetti;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of olive oil;
- 200 g smoked bacon;
- 4 egg yolks;
- 50 g grated parmesan;
- ground black pepper;
- salt;
- a clove of garlic.
Boil the spaghetti. In a wide saucepan with a capacity of at least 5 liters, boil water, add salt and lower the pasta. Following the directions on the package, cook until al dente - shortly before cooking, use a fork to pick up a few spaghetti and taste the cooking. They should be soft on the outside and a little hard on the inside.
Cut the bacon into cubes. Crush the garlic with the back of a knife. Heat olive oil in a deep wide skillet and add garlic and bacon. Fry until the bacon is golden brown and crispy. Remove the clove and turn off the heat.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks with a pinch of salt. Using tongs, remove the pasta from the saucepan and place in the skillet with the bacon. Stir. Add whipped egg yolks and stir again vigorously. Rinse the egg bowl with a little pasta water, pour into the paste and stir again. A smooth sauce should form that envelops the pasta. Place on warmed plates and serve generously sprinkling each serving with Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
The trick to making spaghetti carbonara is that everything is cooked at the same time. By the time your pasta is cooked, you should have time to fry the bacon and beat the eggs. The hot spaghetti is placed in a still hot skillet and this heat allows the fat and eggs to combine into the sauce.
Pasta with amatricana sauce
Amatricana sauce is one of the traditional Italian pasta sauces. Its recipe was first published in an 18th century cookbook by the Roman chef Leonardi. The main ingredients of the dish are pork cheek bacon, pecorino cheese and tomatoes. Traditionally, the sauce is served with bucatini pasta, which looks like thick spaghetti with a wide hole in the middle. You will need:
- 400 g of bucatini pasta;
- 100 g bacon;
- 400 g of large fleshy tomatoes;
- 12 onions;
- 12 red chili peppers;
- 50 ml of white wine;
- 50 g grated Pecorino Roman cheese
- salt, sugar;
- olive oil;
- fresh basil leaves.
Cut the bacon into ½ cm cubes. Cut the onion into cubes of the same size. Remove the seeds from the chili half and chop the flesh like onion and bacon. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and fry the bacon over medium heat. When a little fat has melted from it, add the onion and pepper. Fry while stirring.
When the bacon is soft and slightly golden, pour in the white wine. Cook until more than half has evaporated. Cut the tomatoes in half, remove the seeds and roughly chop the flesh. Add it to the skillet and simmer over low heat for about 10-15 minutes. When the sauce thickens, add a pinch of salt and sugar.
Boil the spaghetti until al dente, drain and mix the bucatino with the sauce. Serve sprinkled with grated cheese and garnish with basil leaves.
Homemade Hearty Bacon Chicken Pasta Recipe
Italian cuisine is aromatic, tasty and generous. Such a dish will turn out if you prepare a pasta with bacon, chicken, tomatoes and spinach in a creamy garlic-cream sauce. Take:
- 500 g chicken fillet;
- 150 g bacon;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil;
- 1 teaspoon of ground paprika;
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves;
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves;
- 5 medium tomatoes;
- 1 sweet red pepper;
- 200 g spinach leaves;
- 5 cloves of garlic;
- 1 cup cream with a fat content of about 20%;
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 400 g of penne paste.
Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet. Rinse the chicken fillet and pat dry with paper kitchen towels. Rub the meat with a mixture of dried herbs and paprika. Fry the fillets in a skillet on both sides. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. The chicken should turn golden on the outside and pink on the inside. Transfer the breasts to a plate and cover with foil.
In the same skillet, fry the coarsely diced bacon until golden brown. Place the bacon on a paper towel to absorb excess grease.
Pass the garlic through a press. Cut the tomatoes in half, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into large cubes. Cut off the lid of the pepper, remove the seeds, and cut the flesh into strips. Fry the vegetables in the same skillet where you fried the chicken and bacon in the melted fat. A few minutes before the vegetables are ready, add the spinach. Pour in milk and cream, stir. When the sauce starts to boil, add the grated cheese. Heat for a minute, then turn off heat and season with salt and pepper.
Boil the penne until tender. Drain and rinse the paste with boiling water. Cut the chicken into strips. Add bacon, chicken, and pasta to the sauce. Warm up and serve. Isn't it delicious?
Step-by-step pumpkin and bacon pasta recipe
The combination of lightly caramelized sweetish roasted pumpkin and salted bacon creates the perfect balance with the pasta. This is a simple yet very effective recipe. You will need:
- 1 "bottle" pumpkin weighing about 500 g;
- 1 head of garlic;
- 300 g of penne paste;
- 3 teaspoons of olive oil;
- 200 g ham or bacon;
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon rosemary leaves;
- ¼ cups of grated Parmesan cheese;
- salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Preheat oven to 220C. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut the flesh into wedges up to 1 ½ cm thick. Cover the baking sheet with baking paper. Arrange the slices and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. At the head of the garlic, cut off the very tip of the top, cut the garlic cloves and pour with oil, season with salt, wrap with cling foil and place on a baking sheet next to the pumpkin. Bake for about 30 minutes, the pumpkin should be soft and browned. Suck and free the pumpkin from the crusts. Cut the pulp into small pieces.
Boil water in a wide saucepan and boil the pasta. Cut the bacon into cubes and fry in a wide skillet. Fry until the bacon is golden brown and crispy. This will take about 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan and place it on a paper towel to absorb the grease.
Heat the broth in a skillet, peel the garlic, purée the wedges and place in the broth with the rosemary leaves. Stir and bring to a boil.
Add bacon, pumpkin, sauce and grated cheese to a saucepan of pasta. Stir and serve.
Pasta with bacon and mushrooms
Bacon and mushrooms are a glorious union, endorsed by generations of chefs. If you add them to pasta, you get a comfortable homemade dish. Take:
- 400 g of farfalle pasta;
- 250 g champignons;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of olive oil;
- 100 g bacon;
- 43 Art. spoons of green pesto;
- 200 ml of cream with a fat content of at least 30%:
- 7-10 leaves of fresh basil.
Boil five liters of water in a saucepan, salt and boil the pasta, following the instructions on the package. Cook until al dante. Meanwhile, cut the mushrooms into thin slices and the bacon into small cubes. Heat a dry skillet and place the mushrooms in it. Wait for the liquid to evaporate from the mushrooms. Pour in olive oil and add bacon. Fry until golden brown. Drain the water from the paste, leave ½ cup of liquid. Return the pasta and liquid to the pot, add the pesto, mushrooms and bacon. Stir and heat for one minute. Remove from heat and add cream, stir. Divide into bowls and garnish with chopped basil. To cut the basil evenly, fold the leaves and roll into a tight tube. Chop this tube into ribbons.
Bacon and Zucchini Pasta Recipe
Tagliatelle is a classic pasta from Bologna, similar to noodles with its long and flat ribbons. These "ribbons" are well suited to the same, long and thin, only from zucchini. And bacon will help keep the dish dry and lean. You will need:
- 500 g tagliatelle pasta;
- 250 g bacon;
- 400 g chopped tomatoes;
- 1 head of onion;
- 1 medium zucchini;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sugar;
- ½ teaspoon ground chili;
- 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper;
- ½ cup of cream with a fat content of at least 20%;
- olive oil;
- chopped parsley.
Boil the pasta until al dente, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Chop the onion in half rings. Crush the garlic on a board with the back of a knife. In a wide saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil, add garlic and onion, season with chili and stir. Cut the bacon into strips and add to the saucepan. Fry until the bacon is golden. Remove and discard the garlic. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 20 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar.
Wash the zucchini and cut into ribbons with a mandolin peeler. Boil water and place the zucchini in it for 1 minute. Drain the water. Place the zucchini in the pasta, add the sauce and stir gently. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.
Pasta with bacon and shrimps
A light and tasty pasta with bacon and shrimp in an oil-garlic sauce cooks very quickly. This dish can be served for dinner, accompanied by a glass of white wine. You will need:
- 250 g fettuccine pasta;
- 100 g bacon;
- 300 g peeled shrimp;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of butter;
- ½ onion;
- 1 large fleshy tomato;
- 2-3 cloves of garlic;
- ¼ teaspoon of ground paprika;
- 1 lemon;
- 2 teaspoons of chopped parsley;
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- salt and pepper.
Cut the bacon into cubes. Chop the onion as well. Cut the tomato in half and remove the seeds, chop the pulp. Pass the garlic through a press. Heat a skillet and brown the bacon until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon from the pan. Add 1 tablespoon butter and melt over medium heat. Place the onion, garlic and tomato in the skillet and season with paprika. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Boil the pasta. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and add it along with the broth to the sauce, sprinkle with parsley and stir. Add shrimp and cook over medium heat for another 2-3 minutes. Place the prepared sauce in a saucepan with pasta. Shake several times to mix well. Serve garnishing each serving with a lemon wedge and chopped parsley.
