Pasta with smoked pancetta sauce

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PRESENTATION

Time for lunch and still don’t know what to make? Maybe you’re just not in the mood to go for the classic garlic, olive oil, and chili pasta, a carbonara, or pasta with tuna. No problem – we’ve got something that will get your mouth watering! Today we have a first-course dish that might seem boring at first glance, but really, it’s simply scrumptious. Pasta with smoked pancetta sauce! It’s ready in just 20 minutes and is a real treat for the taste buds. The rich, succulent sauce together with the aroma of the smoky notes from the pancetta make this pasta truly special. We’ve chosen sedanini rigati as the pasta shape since its little ridges will be able to hold the sauce better. You’ll soon see that this pasta with smoked pancetta sauce will win you over... right down to the last bite!

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INGREDIENTS
Sedanini Rigati pasta 0.75 lb (320 g)
Smoked pancetta 0.5 lb (250 g)
Peeled tomatoes 1 lb (450 g)
Celery 1 cup (100 g)
Onions 2 cups (100 g)
White wine 0.3 cup (75 g)
Fresh chili pepper 1
Basil to taste
Black pepper to taste
Fine salt to taste
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Preparation

How to prepare Pasta with smoked pancetta sauce

To make the pasta with smoked pancetta sauce, start by cleaning and chopping the ingredients to be cooked: Finely chop the celery 1 and the onion 2. Then chop the chili as well 3, removing the seeds to take away some of the heat.

Remove the rind on the smoked pancetta 4 and chop the pancetta into tiny pieces 5. Finally, finely chop the peeled tomatoes 6 and then head over to the stove. Put a pot full of water on to boil to cook the pasta.

Heat a glug of oil in another pot, then brown the pancetta 7 with the onion, celery 8, and chili 9, over low heat.

Let them cook for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, so the vegetables soften and the pancetta browns 10. Deglaze with the wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate completely 11, then add the peeled tomatoes 12.

Shred the basil by hand 13, add to the pot, and season with salt and pepper 14. Cook the sauce for around 20 minutes or until it is dry enough or has reached the desired consistency. In the meantime, cook the sedanini rigati in salted boiling water 15.

As soon as the pasta is al dente, drain and pour it into the sauce 16. Now, just add a pinch of pepper, a drop of oil 17, and a few basil leaves to your plates of pasta with smoked pancetta sauce. Buon appetito 18!

Storage

We recommend eating the pasta with smoked pancetta sauce right away, but if you prefer, you can store it for up to 2 days. The sauce can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. If needed, you could also freeze the sauce and use it on freshly cooked pasta.

Tips

We didn’t add grated Parmigiano Reggiano to the pasta with smoked pancetta sauce because the sauce is already very flavorful but, if you like, a good grating of cheese could work well... you might want to make sure you use a very fresh one!