Chef John's BLT Pasta

Name: Chef John's BLT Pasta
Total time: 40
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 0.5 pound bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 teaspoons lemon zest; 0.66666668653488 cup creme fraiche; 2 cups ditalini pasta; 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes; 4 cups baby arugula, coarsely chopped; salt and ground black pepper to taste; 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste; 1 tablespoon freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Recipe by John Mitzewich from allrecipes.com

Dinner 40 Mins.

Ingredients

4 servings

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1 tablespoon olive oil
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0.5 pound bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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2 teaspoons lemon zest
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0.66666668653488 cup creme fraiche
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2 cups ditalini pasta

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2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
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4 cups baby arugula, coarsely chopped
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salt and ground black pepper to taste
•

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
•

1 tablespoon freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Instructions

Pour olive oil into a heavy skillet over medium heat, add bacon, and cook until almost crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat. Hold a paper towel with tongs and mop up excess bacon grease with the paper towel, leave about 2 teaspoons bacon grease in the skillet.
Stir minced garlic and lemon zest into bacon in the skillet and let cook in residual heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir creme fraiche into the bacon mixture.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and stir in ditalini. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and add pasta to the skillet. Stir pasta thoroughly into bacon and creme fraiche mixture.
Return skillet to medium heat. Add tomatoes; cook and stir until slightly softened, about 1 minute. Mix in arugula, stirring until wilted, about 30 seconds, and turn off heat.
Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir again and garnish with Parmesan cheese.