This bacon garlic pasta (macaroni) is a simple pasta dish that I cook quite frequently. The flavour is full although the ingredients are few. I brought this pasta to work as a side dish to accompany my weekday lunch salad. The method of cooking is similar to how I cook my aglio olio, which is why a bit more garlic and oil are used.
It is also great as a one-dish meal and you can vary this basic recipe with all types of pasta (such as spaghetti and penne) and other ingredients like tomato, mushroom, pepper and/or chicken. This basic version is really my favourite because it already tastes good on its own. I also substituted the typical pasta ingredients with local ingredients – chilli flakes with chilli padi; flat-leaf parsley with spring onions.
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Printable Recipe >> |
Note: Ingredients, seasonings, measurements & timings are at the “Printable Recipe” link above. | |
Finely chop streaky bacon. | |
Coarsely chop garlic and finely slice chilli padi (or use chilli flakes). | |
In a pot of salted water, cook pasta (macaroni) until al dente. | |
While macaroni is cooking, cook chopped bacon in a saucepan until crisp. | |
Push the bacon to one side. Cook garlic and chilli in bacon oil and olive oil. | |
At the first sight of the garlic changing colour, turn off the heat. It will continue cooking in the hot oil until golden brown (as shown). | |
Melt some butter while the oil is still hot. | |
Drain the hot pasta and reserve some pasta water. | |
Add pasta to the saucepan with a bit of pasta water (or chicken stock for more flavour). Stir in chopped spring onions (or flat-leaf parsley). Season with freshly cracked black pepper. | |
Serve with grated parmesan cheese over the pasta. |
You can make this pasta more exciting with added ingredients like cherry tomato, mushrooms, peppers and/or chicken, though this basic version tastes good on its own too.