This is my “I don’t know what to make for dinner” dinner, one I can pull together in about 30 minutes, with ingredients I usually have on hand, but can pick up on the way home if need be. It’s sort of based on an Amatriciana, though I would never call it that, since I hold no claim on Italian authenticity.

Now, when it comes to cooking a tomato sauce, I would typically say the longer the better. As in, the longer you can keep it simmering, the more flavor will develop, and the happier your mouth will be. However, sometimes (maybe most times) you want to be able to throw dinner together in 30 minutes instead of hours, and for those days this version will do the trick. The key to getting a ton of flavor out of a tomato sauce with minimal cooking time is in the base ingredients: Specifically, pancetta, red onion, and tomato paste. Get the pancetta nice and crispy, and use the rendered fat to cook the onion. Take some time with the onion to get some color on it. Add some tomato paste, a little more than usual, for an extra tomato punch. This is an underappreciated ingredient in my opinion-there is so much flavor packed into 1 tiny can. And if you can find the double concentrated stuff, even better. These are my guidelines, they will not steer you wrong.

I start a new job this week (eee!) and I’ve tried to prepare by making myself a cute little home-office space, getting a new planner, and picking out some video-call appropriate tops. I’ve also picked up a week’s worth of groceries with meals like this in mind: Simple food I can make quickly, from memory, without dirtying too many dishes. I have a feeling there will be a lot more recipes fitting those criteria showing up on this page in the coming months. And probably more cookies. (On-hand snacks will be critical, right?)

Cooking Notes: You don’t absolutely need the olive oil-the pancetta will develop enough fat on it’s own. However, I like the added flavor, so I usually keep it.
For finishing, if you’ve made the other pastas on here, you know the drill by now: Add the just-cooked noodles to the sauce, along with some starchy cooking water. Take some big tongs and toss everything together for 2 minutes without stopping, then voila: Your sauce is complete. Finally, you can top with any parmesan-type cheese, but pecorino is the best. 🙂

Linguini with Pancetta, Red Onion & Tomato

Recipe by Too Many SpoonsCourse: DinnerCuisine: Pasta

Servings

6

servings

Cost

16

$

Total time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb linguini

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 4 oz pancetta, diced

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

• 4 tbsp tomato paste

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 15 oz crushed tomatoes

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 2 oz pecorino, shredded

Directions

• Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. You will prepare the sauce while this heats up. Pour the olive oil into a large, deep sauté pan over medium-high, and heat until shimmering.
• Add the pancetta to the sauté pan, and cook until shrunken and crispy, 5-6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and keep aside for later.
• Add the red onion to the sauté pan, stir gently, and cook for 5-6 minutes until soft and starting to brown.
• Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes, stirring to coat. Cook 2-3 minutes until it turns from bright red to dark brick red.
• Add the crushed tomato, mix well, then turn the heat down to medium-low and let the sauce simmer. After a few minutes, you can taste and add salt and pepper as needed, but just remember the pecorino will be salty too. The pot of water should be actively boiling by now, so add the linguini to the water and cook 10-12 minutes, or according to the package directions.
• When the linguini is done cooking, add the pancetta back to the tomato sauce and stir. Then add the pasta to the sauté pan, along with 1/2 cup pasta water, and toss vigorously for 2 minutes until the noodles are well coated and shiny.
• Serve in low bowls, topped with a generous portion of shredded cheese.

Recipe Notes