Happy Tuesday! How is everyone’s week going so far? My “actual” work week doesn’t start until tomorrow, but I have been very busy around the house. Monday’s and Tuesday’s are my “get your shit together” kind of days. I usually plan everything out for the week, coordinate Oliver’s schedule with my own, clean, shop, write blog posts, edit photos, and make dinner. That’s a lot for on top of watching a toddler, so when it comes to dinner, it must require little to no effort.
Enter in this BLT Pasta.
BLT’s were something I grew up eating every summer. The crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, and perfectly toasty bread? So simple and so good. But as good as they are, this summer I wanted to switch it up. I wanted to make something we could enjoy as a family, and honestly, not toast a million slices of bread.
Not only is this pasta easy, but it’s super simple, super fresh, and so delicious. Any dish I can cook, consume, AND clean up in all under an hour, count me in. How can you beat that?
Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below. Happy Eating!
Weeknight BLT Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 box or 16 oz Rigatoni pasta
- 1 1/4 lb or 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 lb or 10-11 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces
- 4.5 oz baby arugula
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 1/2 oz Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
- Optional: Pea shoots for garnish
Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted water for 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Once cooked, drain and reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.
- While pasta is cooking, add chopped bacon to a large frying pan. Cook until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Discard half of bacon fat leaving the other half in pan.
- On medium heat cook tomatoes in bacon fat with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1 tsp chili flakes. Cook 3-4 minutes or until tomatoes have softened.
- Add cooked pasta and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Stir to coat.
- Stir in baby arugula. When arugula starts to wilt, add grated cheese and 1/2 of the cooked bacon.
- Tranfer pasta to serving dish and top with remaining bacon. Garnish with addional cheese and pea shoots if desired.
Recipe adapted from Platings and Pairings.
