I wanted the flavours of a BLT but didn’t fancy a sandwich for dinner so came up with this idea. Lettuce wouldn’t work so I replaced it with rocket piled on the top at the end. When the rocket is stirred into the warm pasta it adds another delightful layer of flavour.
80 g pancetta
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
1 tbsp tomato purée
pinch sugar
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
1 red bird eye chilli, finely sliced
10 basil leaves, torn
150 g pasta (whatever shape you like, I used gnocchi sardi)
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 handfuls of rocket
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Cook the pancetta until golden brown and the fat has separated. Remove the bacon bits and leave the fat in the pan.
Add the onions to the bacon fat and sauté over a low heat for about 7 minutes until soft. Add the garlic. Add tomato puree, tinned tomatoes and fresh chill. Season with salt and a few pinches of sugar. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the pack instructions. Drain the pasta and set aside.
With the sauce over a low heat and the basil then the pasta and stir to coat, cook for 2 minutes. To serve, dived the pasta between two bowls, sprinkle with bacon bits, fresh tomatoes and pile the rocket on top. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
BRT (Bacon, Rocket & Tomato) Pasta
Ingredients
- 80 g pancetta, guanciale or bacon diced
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 clove garlic finely sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- pinch sugar
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 red birds eye chilli finely sliced
- 10 basil leaves torn
- 150 g pasta shape
- 6 cherry tomatoes quartered
- 2 handfuls rocket
- drizzle extra virgin olive oil to finish
Instructions
- Cook the pancetta until golden brown and the fat has separated. Remove the bacon bits and leave the fat in the pan.
- Add the onions to the bacon fat and sauté over a low heat for about 7 minutes until soft. Add the garlic. Add tomato puree, tinned tomatoes and fresh chill. Season with salt and a few pinches of sugar. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the pack instructions. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- With the sauce over a low heat and the basil then the pasta and stir to coat, cook for 2 minutes. To serve, dived the pasta between two bowls, sprinkle with bacon bits, fresh tomatoes and pile the rocket on top. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Video
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