Pasta with Bacon, Zucchini and Parmesan
Ingredients
2 servings
Bacon and zucchini
- Bacon (smoked or raw) 150 g
- Large young zucchini 1
- Garlic 2-3 cloves
- Hot chili pepper 1-2
- Butter or olive oil a little, if not much fat renders from the bacon
Pasta
- Short pasta 200 g
- Water for boiling the pasta 2 l
- Salt for boiling the pasta 14 g (7 g per 1 l of water)
- Parmesan 2 tbsp (14 g)
- Salt, black pepper to taste
For serving (optional)
- Parmesan, pesto, toasted walnuts or almonds to taste
Step-by-step recipe
Bacon and zucchini
For pasta with bacon and zucchini you can use raw or smoked bacon, pancetta, guanciale and so on. What matters is that the fat renders out during frying, as you need it. Use short pasta, not the smallest kind. We make it with penne or tortiglioni. It is best to choose young green zucchini, which have firmer flesh that keeps its shape when fried. To make the dish spicy, we flavor the fat with garlic and chili.
Fry the bacon. Cut it into large cubes. If needed, you can first remove any leftover rind and salt from the bacon by wiping it with a damp cloth before cutting.
Heat a dry frying pan and fry the bacon over medium heat so that the fat renders out. If very little fat renders, add a little butter or olive oil. Transfer the fried bacon slices to a plate and leave the fat in the pan.
Flavor the fat. Fry in it the peeled garlic cloves, crushed with the flat of a knife, and the chili cut into strips, all together, until the garlic starts to darken. Then the garlic and hot pepper can be thrown away. You can, though, keep the chili for serving.
Fry the zucchini. You do not have to peel the zucchini, and if the seeds have not started to form, you can use all the flesh. Cut the zucchini into cubes, about the same size as the bacon, and fry in the flavored fat over medium heat until golden and soft. Do not overcook.
Make a zucchini puree. Set aside a few of the fried zucchini cubes for serving and puree the rest with some of the fat using an immersion blender. Leave a little fat in the pan for the pasta.
Pasta
While the bacon and zucchini are frying, cook the pasta. Bring 2 l of water to a boil and add 14 g of salt (7 g per 1 l). Cook the pasta until al dente, following the time on the package. Drain the pasta in a colander.
Fry the pasta and combine it with the bacon and zucchini. Transfer the pasta to the pan with the remaining fat and fry for 2–3 mins. To add “creamy” notes to the flavor, add a small piece of butter while frying. Then add the bacon slices and the zucchini pieces and puree.
Season the pasta. If needed, add a little salt, keeping in mind that smoked bacon is often noticeably salty. It is also worth adding plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Mix the pasta with the bacon and zucchini well so the components are evenly distributed, sprinkle with grated Parmesan or a similar cheese and mix once more.
Serving
Divide the pasta among plates and serve while it is hot. If you like, you can add more cheese, as well as the fried chili you set aside.
It is very tasty to put a little fragrant pesto on top, which improves the flavor considerably. Sometimes pasta without a liquid sauce is sprinkled with nuts, so try toasted walnuts or almonds, which are delicious. You can also cut the cheese into shavings with a knife and sprinkle them over the pasta instead of grating it.
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Calories and macros
770 kcal
Serving ≈ 430 g
- Protein28 g15% of kcal
- Fat37 g44% of kcal
- Carbs76 g41% of kcal
100 g182 kcalProtein 6.6 gFat 8.6 gCarbs 18 g
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.