Leek & Bacon Pasta
Week night friendly an oh so tasty! Also, check out our cleaning tip for grit free leeks.
Servings: 4 (easily down sizable)
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
12 ounces rigatoni (or other short pasta)
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 bunch leeks (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced and rinsed well
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
Chopped fresh parsley, for topping
Preparation:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings from the skillet.
Add the leeks to the drippings in the skillet. Season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes.
Add the pasta to the skillet along with the parmesan, half of the bacon and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat, adding enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen. To serve, top with the remaining bacon, more parmesan and parsley.
Enjoy!
Chef Tip: Cleaning Leeks
Rinse leeks. Cut off roots. The root ends of a leek should be discarded.
Cut off dark leafy greens that you do not plan to use, and save them for stock.
Slice leeks in half lengthwise.
Chop each half crosswise in 1/4 inch slices.
Place sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water. Agitate with your hands to remove dirt and grit that was trapped between the layers.
Scoop out clean leeks with a slotted spoon or drain with a colander. Dry completely and continue with the recipe of your choice!
