You know what “pancetta” means? I think Pancetta is Italian for “something really freaking tasty.”
This Pancetta Pasta is one of the most appropriate illustrations I know of that proves beyond a shadow of doubt that simple dishes can often be the best things we’ve ever tasted.
With just six ingredients—two of them being salt and pepper, the others being olive oil, pasta, parmesan, and pancetta—this simple pasta dish will quickly become a family favorite because it’s so utterly and undeniably delicious.
Not only is it an amazing and elegant dish to serve family or when entertaining, it’s yours in less than 20 minutes tops. Just think, from prep to table, this can be sitting in front of you, steaming hot, with the heady aroma of sautéed pancetta, pasta, and Parmesan, intoxicating everyone who inhales its simply rapturous aromas. Hungry? You bet you will be.
Why You and Your Family Will Adore This Pancetta Pasta
Pancetta is a thinly sliced and well-salted little disc of pork belly—sometimes known as Italian bacon—that sautés up very nicely in some sizzling olive oil. It originated in Italy, where it was used as an aromatic base for dishes and sauces of all kinds; it just brings flavor with a capital “F.” If you’ve never had pancetta, please stop this self-denial and put some in your shopping cart on Amazon, Kroger, Walmart, or Meijer like now.
This inexpensive cut of meat is often used to bard proteins that lack enough fat (there’s larding and barding; barding means wrapping something in strips of fat, and larding means injecting something with fat, which chefs do with some kind of culinary baster-looking contraption. The process creates that amazingly crispy and buttery skin on turkey or chicken that everyone wants in a whole roasted bird).
But besides using pancetta for adding fat to leaner meats, pancetta can also be diced up to use as the sole protein in a meal as well, as it does in this delicious, delicate, swoon-worthy Pancetta Pasta. Here, it brings the sweetest touch of pork flavor to linguini or spaghetti—both of which it complements perfectly.
Pancetta is one fatty cut of meat, and that means it’s one huge source of flavor for recipes of all kinds. But unlike bacon, which is much smokier, pancetta doesn’t overwhelm your dish with flavor; it complements all the flavors around it and helps them shine.
Chefs rely on it for adding a punch of flavor, literally, to dishes like stuffed mushroom caps, white-sauced pasta dishes like carbonara, dishes like risi e bisi (rice and peas), and minestrone soup. It is also sometimes used as a replacement for bacon in the famous dish known as boeuf bourguignon.
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Well, this is an à la minute kind of dish, where everything is prepared to bring to table immediately. You can refrigerate this Pancetta Pasta very nicely for about two more days after service, but try to enjoy this quickly. I don’t suggest freezing leftover pasta, as it will change its quality. However, leftover Pancetta Pasta makes one mean pasta salad with all that yummy pancetta in it. I’d stir in mayonnaise, diced tomatoes, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and some sugar and create a pasta salad.
Serving Suggestions
I had to host a really fancy dinner party on Saturday for a client’s mother-in-law’s birthday party (no pressure!). They wanted elegance in extremis. So, I served this Pancetta Pasta as a main dish, with a starter course of this delicious Butternut Squash Soup, which I topped with a swirl of crème fraîche and a sprinkling of some almonds. On the side, I served buttered rounds of toasted French bread served with this amazing French Bread Spread, so diners could top their toasts with this heavenly concoction and swoon away.
I also served a simple salad—this delicate salad made with butter lettuce that perfectly complemented everything. For dessert, I had to go spectacular—and serve this Two-Layer Coconut Cake. If you like this Pancetta Pasta recipe, try this recipe for a traditional carbonara. You’re ready to tackle this now!
Pancetta Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces linguine or spaghetti
- 6 ounces pancetta diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced pancetta and cook until crisp and golden, about 6-8 minutes.
- Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the pancetta. Toss well to combine, adding a little reserved pasta water if the mixture seems dry.
- Remove from heat, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately, offering more Parmesan cheese at the table if desired.
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