Penne with Pancetta and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

November 1st, 2010 § 23 Comments

I’m really not one for pasta. And not for any reason in particular. I just don’t crave it like I do, say, potatoes and bread. And potato bread.

But then, sometimes I’ll be thumbing through the glossy pages of a cookbook that I’ve received for review and I can’t help but stop squarely on spaghetti.  It’s as if my taste buds and the delicious picture receptors in my brain had been meandering down the street, casually glanced down, and spotted a twenty dollar bill on the sidewalk. They know a good thing when they see it.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I go quite passionately where my taste buds lead me. A very valid reason why I can never quite cut ties with Burger King. Also why I’m buying shares in Dunkin’ Donuts as we speak. But that’s beside the point.

And so, on Saturday, as I drooled my way through the I Love Bacon cookbook, I got particularly worked up over a recipe for a pasta dish that married bacon, cream, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. There wasn’t even a photograph on the page; the words alone lured me.  I may or may not have blacked out. I consider myself lucky to have been reading about bacon in bed.

Inspired and hungry, this dish was born. It is deeply satisfying and rich, a blend of chewy penne, salty, crisped pancetta, and sweet roasted brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Roasting the vegetables brings about such an intense, caramelized flavor. Adding a few glugs of cream at the end mediates the flavors and lays upon each ingredient like a sort of silk robe. And once I sprinkled a handful of crunchy, toasted walnuts over the pan, I was certain I wouldn’t live to write about it.

The beauty is the simple freshness of each ingredient, and the wholesome heft of them all combined. The thing about pasta dishes like this one, is that they often seem much more decadent and dense than they are. Since so many people have asked me recently to post the nutrition information for my recipes, I’ve come to realize that the meals you might cringe at while calculating, are not nearly as calorically hefty as they sound. Maybe that’s just one of the beautiful outcomes of recipes involving cream and pancetta, and the reality that a little goes a long way. I’d like to think so.

Penne with Pancetta and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Preheat your oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss your brussels sprouts and cauliflower with the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread the veggies on a large roasting pan and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until they have softened and browned. Let them get nice and dark; the longer you roast, the more caramelized and intense the flavor.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add your pasta and let it cook al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of your cooking water. While the pasta is boiling, add your diced pancetta to a large frying pan set over medium heat. Saute the pancetta for about 10 minutes, until crisp and browned. Remove it to a plate, leaving two tablespoons of grease in the pan.

Return the pan to the burner, lower the heat to medium-low and add the chopped onion. Stir occasionally and let the onions soften for about 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 20 seconds.

Toss your roasted veggies in the pan, along with the pancetta, and a half cup of starchy water that your pasta was cooked in. Add the pasta. Stir in the cream and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes, just until heated through and well combined.

Remove from heat and let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes to thicken.

Garnish with the walnuts and fresh parsley. Serve.

Penne with Pancetta and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Serves 5

  • 2 cups brussels sprouts (1 pint), halved
  • 2 cups chopped cauliflower
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 oz diced pancetta or bacon (I used Citterio brand Pancetta, which I found at Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 12 ounces dried pasta, preferably penne or rigatoni
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
  • parsley for garnish
  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss your brussels sprouts and cauliflower with the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread the veggies on a large roasting pan and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until they have softened and browned.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add your pasta and let it cook al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of your cooking water.
  3. While the pasta is boiling, add your diced pancetta to a large frying pan set over medium heat. Saute the pancetta for about 10 minutes, until crisp and browned. Remove it to a plate, leaving two tablespoons of grease in the pan.
  4. Return the pan to the burner, lower the heat to medium-low and add the chopped onion. Stir occasionally and let the onions soften for about 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 20 seconds.
  5. Toss your roasted veggies in the pan, along with the pancetta, and a half cup of starchy water that your pasta was cooked in. Add the drained pasta. Stir in the cream and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes, just until heated through and well combined. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool and thicken for 5 minutes before serving.
  6. Garnish with the walnuts and fresh parsley. Serve.

 

Nutrition Information for 1/5th of the recipe:

Calories: 439.2, Total Fat: 21.5g, Cholesterol: 35.2mg, Sodium: 310mg, Total Carbohydrate: 48.4g, Fiber: 3.7g, Sugars: 0.9g, Protein: 15.7g

Tagged: , , , , , ,

§ 23 Responses to Penne with Pancetta and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

«

»

What’s this?

You are currently reading Penne with Pancetta and Roasted Brussels Sprouts at Can You Stay For Dinner?.

meta