Smoked Pancetta and Bean Pasta
Silky pasta squares in a delicious sauce flavoured with fresh tomatoes, smoky pancetta and comforting beans
Ingredients
- a drizzle of olive oil
- 1 clove garlic finely sliced
- 2 rashers of smoked pancetta cut into 3cm squares (see Notes)
- 4 sage leaves
- 100g ripe cherry tomatoes mixed-colour if you can get them, halved
- a big pinch of black pepper
- half a 400g tin borlotti beans along with some juice (see Notes)
- 125g fresh lasagne sheets cut into 3cm squares
- 300ml boiled water
- 10g parmesan cheese grated
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Put a 28cm frying pan on a high heat. Once hot, pour a little drizzle of olive oil into the pan, and add the garlic, pancetta and sage and cook for about 2 minutes until the garlic is lightly golden.
- Add the tomatoes along with a big pinch of black pepper, the beans and a splash of their juice. Scatter in the pasta, then carefully pour in enough boiling kettle water to just cover everything – about 300ml. Let it bubble away for 4 minutes, or until the pasta has absorbed most of the water and you’ve got a nice sauce, stirring regularly and loosening with an extra splash of water, if needed.
- Turn the heat off, stir in the parmesan and season to perfection. Finish with a kiss of extra virgin olive oil, if you like.
Notes
- Pancetta – if you’re unable to get pancetta rashers, use around 36g smoked pancetta lardons instead.
- Beans – pinto beans are a good substitute if you can’t get borlotti beans.
- This smoked pancetta and bean pasta recipe can easily be adapted if you’re cooking for more people.