Parmesan Pancetta Pasta
Light, salty, nutty, peppery, this parmesan pancetta pasta packs flavor without being overly complicated.
Servings 3 people
Ingredients
- 1/2 package pasta
- 8 oz pancetta diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced finely
- 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly cracked prefered
- 1 1/2 cups arugula
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup pasta water reserve 1 cup before draining
Instructions
- Cook pasta as per packaging. Right before you drain reserve 1 cup of pasta water and place on the side.
- In a frying pan over low-medium heat add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add pancetta and fry until fat has rendered and most of but not all the pancetta is crispy. This will be between 5 minutes (for super small diced pancetta) to 12 minutes (for larger chunks of pancetta).
- Remove pancetta and 1 tbsp of fat. Fat can be discarded. Place the pancetta on the side.
- Lower the heat and add the garlic. Cook garlic until soft and fragrant without color. If garlic begins to brown lower heat even more. (5-7 minutes).
- Add 1/2 cup of pasta water and mix. Add pepper and let sauce reduce for 2-3 minutes. Sauce will be thin.
- Add pasta, and give a toss. Add cheese and cook pasta and cheese in sauce for 2 minutes, until pasta has been coated and sauce at the bottom is essentially gone.
- Add pancetta, add arugula and toss. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- You shouldn't have to salt this dish. Between the salty pasta water, pancetta, and parm this dish gets a lot of salt as it is.