Bucatini in Light Tomato Sauce with Onion, Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, Basil and Bacon

I like to try different pasta shapes and this ones called Bucatini. Bucatini is sometimes referred to as hose shaped pasta because it's like oversize spaghetti that's hollow. 

 

Ingredients:

1 pound Barilla Bucatini
4 strips bacon
1/2 diced yellow onion
4 sliced garlic cloves
2 cups basic tomato sauce
Chopped basil
Red pepper flakes to taste
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Take a 12" sauté pan and cook the bacon till crispy. When done, place the bacon on a plate with paper towels to drain. When cool, chop the bacon into crumbles.

 

Remove all but about a tablespoon of the bacon fat from the sauté pan. On medium low heat, add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Next, add the garlic and cook a couple of minutes. Lastly add the tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

 

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon salt and bring to boil. Cook the pasta according to directions, which is usually 10 minutes to al dente which is firm to the bite. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Add to the pasta to the sauté pan.

 

Reserve a little bacon and basil for garnishing your plate. Add the bacon, basil and red pepper flakes to the pasta and toss. At this point you may want to add the pasta water if you think the pasta needs a little more moisture. I find that I almost always add 1 cup of pasta water before the final toss and serve, it just makes the dish better. Check the seasoning, add salt and pepper if necessary and you're done.

 

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate or shallow bowl. Garnish the pasta with bacon crumbles, chopped basil, red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese and a drizzle a olive oil