Rigatoni with Pancetta and Crispy Garlic Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 700 g rigatoni
- 8 cloves garlic
- 200 g breadcrumbs coarse
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves picked
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 350 g cubed pancetta
- 2 pinch chilli flakes
- 100 g sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 good handful fresh parsley
- 100 g Parmesan cheese
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
Equipment
Large pot
Large frying pan
Wooden spoon
Chopping board
Chopping knife
Microplane
Colander
Tongs
Instructions
- Peel and finely chop garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Roughly chop the parsley and grate the Parmesan.
- Add the garlic to a bowl with the breadcrumbs, thyme leaves and plenty of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix together.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and toast the breadcrumbs until golden and crisp, stirring now and then for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Return the pan to a medium heat and fry the pancetta until rendered down and crispy, around 5 minutes.
- Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the pan with the chilli flakes. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the rigatoni until very al dente, reserving a cupful of the pasta water before draining.
- Add the drained pasta to the frying pan along with a splash of the pasta water, the butter, most of the parsley, grated Parmesan and a handful of the breadcrumbs. Cook on a low heat, tossing until the pasta is cooked through and the sauce is silky and coating the pasta. Add a little more pasta water if the sauce is too dry.
- Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of the remaining breadcrumbs, parsley and extra pepper.
Notes
A quick method and with plenty of store cupboard essential ingredients, this will tick a lot of boxes when you’re looking for a handy midweek meal.
You may need to cook this recipe in batches if you don’t have a big enough pan.
Nutrition
Calories: 530kcal