Orecchiette & Bacon with Red Pepper Pesto
It’s Spring Break! At least it is for me. We are both in school right now, at two different school’s. I go at night and right now I’m enjoying my spring break. We still have work but just having a little taste of what its like to have a little more time is just what I needed right now.
This orecchiette and bacon dish is perfect for a quick meal. I think it would also be a great picnic/camping recipe also. It’s the perfect make-ahead dish and its super simple.
Orecchiette is such a fun-shaped pasta. It looks like shells that have been flattened and only a small indent remains. They tend to stick together but that’s part of the appeal of this pasta shape.
The red pepper pesto is amazing and reminds me just a little of the romesco sauce we made a while back. However, it’s completely different. It’s the kind of sauce that you taste and think, “This would be perfect on ______ and _____ and ____”. Yea, its delicious!
I’m trying not to waste the extra time I have this week for spring break but it sure is nice to be home cooking together at night again.
- 4 strips Bacon
- ½ cup roasted almond pieces
- 12 oz canned roasted red peppers, drained
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
- ½ cup Italian parsley leaves, washed and dried
- 2 cloves peeled garlic
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 lb orecchiette pasta
- Cook bacon over the stove until cooked through and crispy
- Combine red peppers, toasted almonds, parmesan cheese, basil, parsley and garlic in a food processor or blender. Turn on and while the motor is running, slowly add the ½ cup of olive oil
- Process until mixture forms a coarsely chopped paste.
- Cook orecchiette pasta according to package directions (al dente).
- Reserving ½ cup cooking liquid, drain pasta and return pasta to pot.
- Add red pepper sauce to the pot and stir the reserved cooking liquid.
- Cook just until sauce is heated through (2-3). Stir in bacon before serving.
- Top with parm and basil leaves (optional)