“BLT” Pasta
By America's Test KitchenPublished on February 14, 2013
Time
30 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, cut into ½-inch cubes12 slices bacon, chopped1 onion, chopped fine1 garlic clove, mincedSalt and pepper 1 pound orecchiette (or other small pasta)1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved1 (5-ounce) bag baby arugula (see note)1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Before You Begin
Peppery arugula pairs well with smoky bacon and sweetly acidic cherry tomatoes. If you can’t find arugula, baby spinach also works well.
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bread and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl and wipe out skillet.
- Cook bacon in empty skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat. Cook onion in bacon fat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1½ cups cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in tomatoes, arugula, Parmesan, bacon, onion mixture, and 1 cup reserved pasta water (adding additional water as needed). Season with salt and pepper and top with croutons. Serve.
Time
30 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, cut into ½-inch cubes
12 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
1 pound orecchiette (or other small pasta)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (5-ounce) bag baby arugula (see note)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, cut into ½-inch cubes
12 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
1 pound orecchiette (or other small pasta)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (5-ounce) bag baby arugula (see note)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, cut into ½-inch cubes
12 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
1 pound orecchiette (or other small pasta)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (5-ounce) bag baby arugula (see note)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Why This Recipe Works
When developing our recipe for "BLT" Pasta, we found that baby spinach and arugula worked equally instead of using lettuce. Rather than wasting time dicing whole tomatoes, we found that halved cherry tomatoes were the ideal size for this recipe. Cooking the onions in some fat reserved from cooking the bacon added smoky flavor to our “BLT" Pasta.
Before You Begin
Peppery arugula pairs well with smoky bacon and sweetly acidic cherry tomatoes. If you can’t find arugula, baby spinach also works well.
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bread and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl and wipe out skillet.
- Cook bacon in empty skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat. Cook onion in bacon fat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1½ cups cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in tomatoes, arugula, Parmesan, bacon, onion mixture, and 1 cup reserved pasta water (adding additional water as needed). Season with salt and pepper and top with croutons. Serve.
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