Orecchiette with Rosemary Bacon and Peas
Simple orecchiette pasta with fresh rosemary, salty bacon and sweet peas. This crispy pan-fried orecchiette, is an easy way to serve your family a little homemade italian comfort!
Today I’m sharing an authentic orecchiette dish we ate while in Italy this summer.
During our week in the Tuscan countryside, we visited as many of the medieval hill towns as possible.
Each tiny fortified city had something different to offer, it’s own flavor, if you will.
Some were focused on wine, others were focused on their internal diversity, and still others were focused on the sport of leisure.
While meandering through Montalcino one evening, we decided to stop at a little restaurant down a steep staired alley, that we heard had incredible food.
We ordered in the traditional Italian fashion of selecting, antipasti the appetizer, primi the pasta course, and secondi the meat course. All the dishes this particular restaurant served, were extremely simple (almost peasant like) and very comforting.
One of our primi dishes was pan-fried crispy orecchiette with fresh rosemary, bacon, peas and a little crushed red pepper.
After tasting, it was obvious the orecchiette had been fried in the bacon grease until the edges were crispy, yet leaving the center of the pasta al dente. The texture, along with the sweet and salty additions and herby essence, was something I could not get enough of.
Pasta fried in bacon grease. YES to that!
Truly, this was a very easy recipe to replicate. I simply fried some thick-cut bacon until crisp and red. Then I removed it and added cooked orecchietta to the bubbling bacon grease, along with rosemary and red pepper.
Once the pasta was crispy around the edges, I added the peas, and the bacon back in. Done.
Tastes and feels just like it did in Italy.
That’s the beauty of Italian cooking. It doesn’t have to be complicated to be sensational!
Orecchiette with Rosemary Bacon and Peas
Ingredients
- 1 pound DeLallo Orechiette Pasta #92
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Set a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package instructions. Then drain.
- Meanwhile, set a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until red. Scoop the bacon out of the grease and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Pour the drained pasta into the remaining bacon grease. Add the rosemary and crushed red pepper. Stir and "fry" the pasta until the edges start to become crispy. Add the peas to the pasta and toss.
- Once the peas have warmed through, add the bacon back to the skillet and salt the pepper to taste. Serve warm.
Nutrition
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Looks awesome! My family would go crazy for this pasta!
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Deeeeeelicious! Love the rosemary and bacon together!
I need to make this soon!
Simple and delicious meals are the best!
I have made a version of this recipe before, never thought about adding rosemary. I like it!
This looks like my kind of dinner!
You’re trip sounds fabulous and so does this pasta!
This looks like the perfect plan for dinner tonight!
Mmmmmm….pasta and bacon! Bring it on!
I’m still totally jealous of your trip to Italy, glad you brought some of it home for hte rest of us. Looks simple and so good!
Great pasta dish!
Thanks Maria!
I love how simple this is! And bacon and peas always pair well!
Thank you Naomi!