Penne with Bacon, Black Pepper, and Tomato (Easiest Pasta)
Bacon tomato pasta. Do three more comforting words exist? If you’re doubtful like me, you’re in luck! Today I’m bringing you a dish that’ll have you drooling over the pan before taking your first bite and leave your kitchen smelling like heaven (if heaven were a small Italian trattoria nestled in the heart of Tuscany, with the aroma of sizzling bacon wafting through the hot summer air). Get ready for Penne with Bacon, Black Pepper, and Tomato – it’s the quickest, easiest, tastiest pasta recipe you’ll ever whip up!
Pasta and Bacon Are a Match Made in Heaven
Let’s get real for a minute. Pasta and bacon? Fantastic on their own. But together, they’re like the ultimate power couple of the culinary world. It’s a match made in foodie heaven and here’s why: Bacon brings that savory, smoky, umami goodness that can take a dish from “meh” to “wowza!”
And when you pair it with pasta, oh man. It’s like they were meant to be together. The rich, hearty taste of bacon perfectly complements the comforting embrace of pasta. Better yet, when tossed in a bright, smooth tomato passata, it’s a symphony of flavors that’ll have you coming back for seconds (and maybe thirds, no judgment here).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe (hint: there’s bacon)
Have I mentioned there’s bacon? I mean, who doesn’t love bacon? It’s crispy, it’s flavorful, and it adds a dimension of deliciousness to this dish like nothing else can.
This penne with bacon is SO EASY. It comes together in under 30 minutes with ingredients you probably already have on hand in your fridge or pantry. I’m using lardons but if you don’t have those on hand, you can easily chop up some strips of bacon. Served with a small side salad, it’s the ultimate weeknight dinner solution.
This recipe will satisfy the pickiest of eaters. Seriously, when was the last time you heard someone say this dish is great, you know, but it could really do without the bacon. Even the hardest to please will be clamoring for more.
But that’s not all. The tomato passata packs the perfect balance of tart yet sweet. Likewise, you can use canned tomatoes for a more rustic character. Whatever you do, don’t forget to add some pasta water to the sauce.
The pasta water not only brings a burst of flavor, but the starches it contains are critical to emulsifying the sauce and giving it that restaurant-quality taste and texture like it’s been simmering away for hours (even though we both know it hasn’t).
Pasta water is packed with starches from the cooking process. Adding it to the passata acts as a natural thickener, giving the sauce a luscious, velvety texture that’ll cling to your pasta like nobody’s business.
What Are Lardons?
You might be wondering, what the heck are lardons? They’re basically just fancy French for bacon bits. No, I’m not talking about those sad, sorry excuses for bacon bits you find at the salad bar. Oh no, I’m talking about thick-cut strips of bacon or salted pork, chopped up into glorious, bite-sized pieces and cooked to crispy perfection. These little nuggets of bacony goodness are what take this pasta from good to great. Trust me, once you try lardons, you’ll never go back to regular old bacon.
If you can’t find lardons, have no fear. They’re super easy to make. Just take strips of bacon, stack them on top of each other, cut into strips, and voila!
How Much Pepper Are We Talking?
The unsung hero of this dish – freshly ground black pepper. It has a bolder, more robust flavor than that dusty pre-ground stuff that’s been lying around since the Stone Age.
I like a coarse grind and I go for between 1 and 2 teaspoons, or until the lardons or bacon are sufficiently covered. So grate until your heart’s content! I grate it over the bacon while it’s cooking so it can really bloom in the bacon fat. It’s fruity and flowery and doesn’t at all exaggerate the heat like you might think.
Plus, there’s something satisfying about grinding your own pepper – it’s like adding a little extra love to your cooking that you can feel, hear, and smell. So do yourself a favor and invest in a pepper grinder – your senses will thank you.
Do I Have to Use Penne Pasta?
Penne rigate is my go-to. I like how its hollow inside really absorbs the tomato sauce and, if you’re really lucky, a lardon or a strip of bacon.
But one of the great things about dishes such as this bacon tomato pasta is that they’re adaptable. You could just as easily use spaghetti, rigatoni, bucatini, or farfalle. Just pay attention to the cooking time as it may vary.
Penne Pasta with Bacon, Tomato, and Black Pepper Recipe
Penne with Bacon, Black Pepper, and Tomato
Equipment
- 1 Stainless steel pan
- 1 Slotted spoon
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 100 g (3-4 oz) Lardons or bacon (cut into bite-sized strips)
- 400 g (14.5 oz) Tomato passata or canned tomatoes
- 200 g (7 oz) Penne pasta
- 1-2 tsp Freshly grated black pepper
- Pinch Salt
- Grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano to garnish
- Extra virgin olive oil optional
Instructions
- Fry the bacon. Add the bacon to a cold pan and bring it up to medium to medium-high heat. Cook until crispy. Depending on the thickness of your bacon, this could be anywhere from 2 to 7 minutes). (see notes)
- Pepper the bacon. When the bacon is about halfway cooked, liberally grate black pepper over the bacon until each piece or lardon is coated with flakes of pepper.
- Remove the bacon. When the bacon is crispy, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and place it in a nearby bowl. Drain excess fat if desired.
- Cook the tomato passata. Add the tomato passata to the same pan as the bacon and simmer over medium to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the pasta is finished cooking. The passata will reduce considerably. You’ll top it up with pasta water later.
- Boil the pasta. Immediately after adding the passata to the pan, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a pinch of salt. Boil the pasta for 2 minutes less than the indicated al dente cooking time on the package.
- Reserve some pasta water. While the pasta is boiling, reserve a mug of pasta water. A little at a time, add some of the pasta water to the passata, stirring and agitating the sauce until it has a velvety consistency and coats the back of a spoon. (see notes)
- Strain the pasta and toss it in the sauce. Strain the pasta. Toss it in the sauce for 2 minutes to finish cooking the pasta al dente.
- Plate the pasta. Sprinkle the peppered bacon over the top of the plated pasta. Finish with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano.