Penne All’Amatriciana

Smoky pancetta in a spicy red wine & tomato sauce. What’s not to love. This is a super quick 30 minute meal that kids will love. It’s like a hug in a bowl. Perfect for those winter evenings where you just want a hearty bowl of pasta with cheese. You could obviously use bacon bits, if you can’t find pancetta and the red wine is optional, but it adds a lovely depth flavour.

Ingredients

Serves 4 | 660 calories per serving*

• 400g pasta

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 small onion, finely diced

• 1 tsp chilli flakes

• 50ml red wine

• 100g pancetta

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 400g tin of good quality chopped tomato

• handful fresh basil, torn

• 25g parmesan cheese, grated

• Salt & pepper, to taste

Method

1. Cook pasta according to packet instructions in a pot of heavily salted water.

2. In a skillet sauté your onion in your olive oil until soft. Add your pancetta and cook until starting to lightly brown the base of the pan.

3. Once bacon starting to brown, add your garlic and cook for a minute or 2, stirring regularly so that it doesn’t brown.

4. Add your wine to de-glaze the pan. Scrape all the bits from the bottom of the pan to bring the flavours back into your sauce. Simmer for a minute or 2.

5. Add your tomatoes and most of the fresh basil. Season lightly with salt (as bacon is salty) and a good pinch of black pepper and chilli flakes. Simmer for about 10mins.

6. Before you strain your pasta, add a ladle of the starchy pasta water to your sauce and stir in your strained pasta.

7. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh basil and some grated parmesan cheese on top.