Chef John's BLT Pasta
Description
The flavors of America's favorite sandwich, bacon, lettuce, and tomato, combine in a fresh and tasty BLT pasta dish that cooks up in a jiffy.
Ingredients
•
1 tablespoon olive oil
•
1/2 pound bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
•
2 cloves garlic, minced
•
2 teaspoons lemon zest
•
2/3 cup creme fraiche
•
2 cups ditalini pasta
•
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
•
4 cups baby arugula, coarsely chopped
•
salt and ground black pepper to taste
•
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
•
1 tablespoon freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, or to taste
Directions
1
Pour olive oil into a heavy skillet over medium heat, add bacon, and cook until almost crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat. Hold a paper towel with tongs and mop up excess bacon grease with the paper towel, leave about 2 teaspoons bacon grease in the skillet.
2
Stir minced garlic and lemon zest into bacon in the skillet and let cook in residual heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir creme fraiche into the bacon mixture.
3
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and stir in ditalini. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and add pasta to the skillet. Stir pasta thoroughly into bacon and creme fraiche mixture.
4
Return skillet to medium heat. Add tomatoes; cook and stir until slightly softened, about 1 minute. Mix in arugula, stirring until wilted, about 30 seconds, and turn off heat.
5
Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir again and garnish with Parmesan cheese.