How to make BLT pasta
January 17 2011, 9:50 PM
The recipe for BLT Pasta is more of a guideline than a recipe. But first let me state that and then show you how you can do lots of different things with it. This recipe serves four. If you are feeding less people, make less pasta and use just the sauce you need and freeze the rest. For the basic recipe you will need: · 8 slices of bacon, chopped (around ½ pound or 250 g)
· 1 onion, chopped
· 3 cloves of garlic, minced
· 1 tsp of dried thyme
· 1 19 oz/540 mL can of tomatoes, preferably diced
· ¼ tsp of salt and pepper each
· Either ¼ cup of chopped parsely or two handfuls of spinach
· 12 oz / 375 g of spaghetti Start boiling water for the pasta. In a big skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon, onion, garlic and thyme, stirring often, 5-7 minutes, until the bacon is cooked to your liking and the onion is softened. Pour off most of the fat. (Save some / all for flavour) Add tomatoes and juice to the bacon mix, breaking up the tomato into smaller pieces. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as more thyme if you like. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium. Cook the tomato sauce for 10-12 minutes. This should be roughly the same time it takes the spaghetti to cook. Drain the cooked spaghetti then toss it in the sauce and serve. That is the basic recipe. But there are lots of ways to change it. For example: · double the amount of bacon! I love bacon and I thought it could be great with more.
· Replace a regular onion with other types of onion. Or use green onion and slice up the green part and use it instead of thyme.
· Use more garlic (e.g., double the amount)
· Use more tomatoes
· Add red pepper flakes or cayenne or Tabasco sauce to spice it up.
· Add olives or capers to your liking
· Add grated cheese
· Add different herbs. Replace the parsely with basil or rosemary or oregano. Better yet, use fresh herbs, but use more
· When you are frying up the onion and the bacon, add some chopped mushrooms or diced zucchini or eggplant.
· Add a ½ cup of red wine to deglaze the pan and reduce it, then add the tomatoes Really all you need are bacon, tomatoes, pasta and some green stuff, and you have the start of a simple and tasty pasta dish. It's a great meal to whip up during the week or whenever you want something simple, easy and tasty. Oh, for a drink, a lighter red wine would be good, or even a white. I think an inexpensive, pinot noir, a Beaujolais, or a sangiovese would go well with this. So would something lighter from Portugal. Of course water or a soft drink will also hit the spot. P.S. This is another Canadian Living recipe.
· 1 onion, chopped
· 3 cloves of garlic, minced
· 1 tsp of dried thyme
· 1 19 oz/540 mL can of tomatoes, preferably diced
· ¼ tsp of salt and pepper each
· Either ¼ cup of chopped parsely or two handfuls of spinach
· 12 oz / 375 g of spaghetti Start boiling water for the pasta. In a big skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon, onion, garlic and thyme, stirring often, 5-7 minutes, until the bacon is cooked to your liking and the onion is softened. Pour off most of the fat. (Save some / all for flavour) Add tomatoes and juice to the bacon mix, breaking up the tomato into smaller pieces. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as more thyme if you like. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium. Cook the tomato sauce for 10-12 minutes. This should be roughly the same time it takes the spaghetti to cook. Drain the cooked spaghetti then toss it in the sauce and serve. That is the basic recipe. But there are lots of ways to change it. For example: · double the amount of bacon! I love bacon and I thought it could be great with more.
· Replace a regular onion with other types of onion. Or use green onion and slice up the green part and use it instead of thyme.
· Use more garlic (e.g., double the amount)
· Use more tomatoes
· Add red pepper flakes or cayenne or Tabasco sauce to spice it up.
· Add olives or capers to your liking
· Add grated cheese
· Add different herbs. Replace the parsely with basil or rosemary or oregano. Better yet, use fresh herbs, but use more
· When you are frying up the onion and the bacon, add some chopped mushrooms or diced zucchini or eggplant.
· Add a ½ cup of red wine to deglaze the pan and reduce it, then add the tomatoes Really all you need are bacon, tomatoes, pasta and some green stuff, and you have the start of a simple and tasty pasta dish. It's a great meal to whip up during the week or whenever you want something simple, easy and tasty. Oh, for a drink, a lighter red wine would be good, or even a white. I think an inexpensive, pinot noir, a Beaujolais, or a sangiovese would go well with this. So would something lighter from Portugal. Of course water or a soft drink will also hit the spot. P.S. This is another Canadian Living recipe.