Pasta with Pancetta, Tomatoes and Onion

Before we get to the food, I must share some of the latest things on my blog. I have added share buttons, which means if you really like my post you can share it by emailing it to a friend, posting it on Facebook, or Twitter. Speaking of Twitter; I have joined the masses. You can follow me, username missnoladyblog. Finally, on the right side of my blog there is a widget that makes it possible for you to tweet or Facebook my blog itself, not just a link to the individual post. Remember kids, sharing is caring, so if you like what I cook, share it!

Ok, let's get to this pasta. This is an Everyday Food recipe, they call it Bucatini with Pancetta, Tomatoes and Onion. I changed it to pasta since I made it with bowties, not bucatini. This was such a cinch to make, most of the ingredients are listed in the title, and the most time consuming part was dicing the pancetta.

Pasta with Pancetta, Tomatoes and Onion
adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:
Coarse salt and ground pepper
12 ounces bucatini or spaghetti  (I used whole wheat bowties)
1 slice pancetta (6 ounces), diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (2 ounces)

Directions:
1) In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta; return to pot.

2) While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-low. Add pancetta, and cook until browned and crisp, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, and set aside (leave fat in skillet).

3) Increase heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion begins to soften, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes (with juice); cook, breaking them up with a spoon, until sauce has slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add sauce to pasta in pot; toss, adjusting consistency with pasta water if necessary. Serve pasta topped with pancetta and Pecorino.

I would keep the salting of the sauce to a minimum, the pancetta itself was very salty, so it would be easy to make the entire thing overall too salty. I was really happy with this recipe, so easy to make, and it tasted so good. There's something to be said for homemade pasta sauces.