Sizzling Herb Pasta w/White Beans & Crisp Smoked Bacon

By stancec44

From “Everything Tastes Better With Bacon,” by Sara Perry

Ingredients

• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Grated Romano cheese, for serving

Details

Servings 6
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from tablet.olivesoftware.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Stir in the beans and set aside.

In a medium heavy skillet, cook the bacon pieces over medium-low heat, turning as needed to achieve uniform crispness. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel to drain. Pour off the bacon drippings, reserving 1/4 cup in the skillet.

Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to package directions. Using plenty of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente (tender but firm to the bite). (Serving hint: As the pasta water heats, place your serving bowl over the pot to warm it.) Drain well, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Transfer the pasta to the warmed serving bowl, add the beans with their marinade and the bacon pieces, and lightly toss.

In the skillet used to cook the bacon, heat the reserved bacon drippings over medium-high heat until hot. (To test, add an herb leaf to the hot drippings. When it sizzles, the temperature is right.) Add the parsley, sage and rosemary to the hot drippings and sauté quickly, 45 to 60 seconds. Drizzle and scrape the bacon drippings and herbs onto the pasta mixture and toss to blend. For a moister coating, add a little of the reserved cooking water.

Serve immediately. At the table, season with salt and pepper to taste, passing the cheese.