Garlicky pasta with bacon and pangrattato
Serves: 4 Ready in: 30 minutes
Pangrattato
■ 2 tbsp butter
■ Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
■ 1 clove garlic, minced
■ 50g panko breadcrumbs
Pasta and sauce
■ 350g spaghetti
■ 1 onion, finely diced
■ 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
■ 300g shoulder bacon, diced 1cm
■ 2 courgettes, diced 1cm
■ 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, cut in half
■ 1⁄3 cup grated parmesan
■ 1 tbsp butter
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
To make the pangrattato, heat the butter in a frying pan on a medium heat, add the chilli and garlic, and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the breadcrumbs and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, tossing until golden. Transfer to a bowl and put the pan aside.
To make the pasta, cook the spaghetti in a pot of boiling water for 8-10 minutes, until tender. Reserve a 1⁄2 cup of the pasta water, then drain well and toss with a little oil to prevent sticking.
Prepare the sauce by cutting up the onion, garlic, bacon, courgettes and cherry tomatoes.
To cook the sauce, return the pangrattato pan to a high heat, with a little oil, and cook the onion, garlic and bacon for 7-8 minutes, until starting to brown.
Add the courgettes and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until starting to soften. Add half of the reserved pasta water, cherry tomatoes, cheese and butter, and cook for a further 1 minute, until saucy. Toss through the drained pasta and season to taste.
Serve the bacon pasta, topped with plenty of pangrattato.