Penne With Brussels Sprouts, Chile and Pancetta
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Sea salt
- 8ounces penne
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
- 3ounces pancetta, diced
- 1large rosemary sprig
- 6garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1jalapeño or Serrano chile, thinly sliced (or substitute 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8ounces brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
- 2teaspoons butter
- Fresh lemon juice, for serving
- Freshly grated pecorino cheese (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
814 calories; 35 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 100 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 735 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring large pot heavily salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until pasta is just al dente (do not overcook).
- Step 2
Meanwhile, heat large sauté pan over high heat and add the olive oil. When oil is hot, add the pancetta and rosemary, and sauté until the fat on the pancetta starts to turn translucent and very lightly brown, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, chile and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and sauté until garlic and pancetta turn richly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the brussels sprouts, a large pinch of salt and a splash of water to pan, and sauté until sprouts just start to soften, about 2 minutes. Spread sprouts mixture in pan and press down to flatten. Let it sear for a minute, then stir it up and repeat. This helps brown the sprouts. Add the butter, and sauté for another minute.
- Step 3
Drain penne and add it to pan with brussels sprouts mixture. Cook, tossing, until everything is well mixed. Spoon into pasta bowls and top with a drizzle of oil and lemon juice, and a little cheese if you like.
Private Notes
Comments
Wonderful! Being vegetarians, we used shitake mushrooms in place of pancetta. Would also be great with toasted sliced almonds and/or raisins.
I just made this for the first time, and I love it. For my oven using high heat was too much, so I cut back to medium high heat and cut down on the cooking times by as much as a minute. I'll try this again this weekend, and in the future I may substitute mushrooms for pancetta to make it a vegetarian meal.
Pancetta adds lots of salt flavor. "Heavily salted" penne water adds salt. Other directions add salt. Too much. Lay off the salt and add at end if needed. Otherwise this was terrific. The brussell sprouts cook down quite a bit so don't skimp. I'll add more next time. Wife thinks this is good for dinner party.
I was looking for a recipe that would use up leftover bacon, brussels sprouts and a home grown jalapeno pepper. This did the trick! While I'm sure the pancetta is spectacular, I was delighted by how flavorful a meal this was. Oh, and QUICK to make. While I followed the recipe (except the bacon sub), I can totally imagine riffing on it by adding peas, even more brussels sprouts and maybe even some shrimp. To the person who suggested amping up the garlic - YES! I also heeded the salt warning.
Based on the comments, made with 3 oz center cut (meaty) bacon crosscut 1/4”, ~14 oz Brussels before trimming, 7 oz penne. Cooked bacon a bit more than the recipe describes (fattier than pancetta) before adding the rest. Otherwise close to recipe. Bam!
Is there a substitute for the brussel sprouts? No one in my house likes them. Yes, I know lots of people have been converted to eating Brussel sprouts .loaded with maple syrup, bacon,etc. They still taste like Brussel sprouts.
@Sandie made this recipe tonight with broccoli which I steamed lightly after cutting and dried w paper towel. Big hit. I used Parmesan Reggiano and broccoli because that was what I had and it was fab.