Bacon Spaghetti

This is one from a few weeks ago, before I started a ludicrous detox which involves no carbs and no dairy. This is difficult and I am struggling because I love carbs. And seriously, is there anything more satisfying than twirling a fork around a bowl of tomato-y/cheesy/bacon-y pasta? I don’t really think I’ve found it yet. It's definitely not cauliflower rice.

Basically this is another one of  my “let’s make a ready meal at home.” I love Marks and Spencer, and when I am doing multiple long shifts in work their microwave meals can be a godsend. I recently discovered their “bacon bucatini” which basically tastes like a grown up version of the Heinz Bolognese in a can. I think you can tell from that sentence that my childhood lunches were awesome.

Anyway, I wanted to recreate this rich, meaty, flavourful sauce at home. So, I had a crack at it, and I think I did. And it’s pretty damn good! It’s really quick as well, so I’d recommend it when you don’t want to go full Bolognese, but still want the pasta experience.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 slices of smoked bacon, diced
• 2 scallions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 red onion
• 1 dried chilli
• 100ml red wine
• 150ml pasatta
• Enough pasta for 2
• A generous handful of grated parmesan

Method

Heat half of the oil in a pan and fry off the bacon until crispy.

Meanwhile, chop the veggies and garlic.

Remove the bacon from the pan when cooked and add the other half of the oil in the pan, along with the scallion, onion, chilli, and garlic.

Cook  until softened, then pour over the wine. Deglaze the pan and let simmer until the wine has reduced by half.

Pour over the pasatta and cover with a lid. Gently simmer for 15 minutes.

..Which is plenty of time to cook the pasta!

After the 15 minutes is up, stir the bacon and parmesan into the sauce, 

..and then mix through the pasta. Stir well over a medium heat for a few minutes until evenly mixed and warmed through.

Serve immediately, with a little more parmesan on top, and chilli flakes if you like that sorta thing.