Penne with Pancetta, Red Pepper, and Mushroom
This quick and healthy pasta dish is easy to make and packed with flavor. It's perfect for a weeknight meal or a light lunch.
This quick and healthy pasta dish is easy to make and packed with flavor. It's perfect for a weeknight meal or a light lunch.
- ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 red pepper diced
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cups whole wheat pasta i use penne, but anything will work
- 4 slices bacon pancetta for lowered fat content
- 4 small mushrooms chopped
- 2 cloves garlic i use 1 1/2 cloves, its all down to your own taste
- 3 pinches basil fresh or dry
- splash red wine
- 3 pinches chili flakes
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or if you can get your hands on some chilli infused olive/extra virgin oil this works great
- Carbohydrate 130.282950220377 g
- Cholesterol 201.369621190309 mg
- Fat 40.2670566692637 g
- Fiber 1.54533123553544 g
- Protein 33.3425713354056 g
- Saturated Fat 10.4726954230866 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (394g)
- Sodium 526.988359581313 mg
- Sugar 128.737618984841 g
- Trans Fat 4.8383994460844 g
- Calories 1032 calories
Step-by-step
- Begin prep by dicing pancetta, (if it did not already come this way), onion, red pepper and chopping mushrooms.
- Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil and add a large dash o salt to the boiling water and continue to boil gently till salt has completely dissolved.
- Add the 2 cups of whole wheat pasta to the boiling water, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Have a test nibble on the pasta now and again to ensure you get the desired Al Dente texture
- When the pasta is about half way done begin heating the olive oil in a wok over a low to medium heat.
- Add the pancetta, garlic and onion to the wok to cook gently to sweat the onions and until the pancetta is slightly golden.
- At this point the pasta should have finished cooking. If it hasn't, remove the mixture in the wok from the heat to allow the pasta time to cook.
- Strain the water from the pasta and allow to cool slightly. Whilst the pasta is cooling bring the wok back to heat, it the mixture is a little dry and a little olive oil to loosen it up.
- When wok returns to medium heat, add the pasta, constantly toss the pasta in the wok as if it is left sitting in one place for too long it will burn really easy. At this point add the gulp of red wine and stir until it has reduced. At this point we can go ahead and add the red pepper, mushroom, and season with basil, black pepper and chilli flakes.
- Continue to stir until everything is well mixed.
- When everything in the wok is well mixed, go ahead and divide into bowls, this is when we can drizzle it with the extra virgin olive oil (or chilli infused if you're lucky enough to find it). Toss the pasta around in the bowl with the oil to prevent this dish from being very dry and hard to swallow, you may want to add a little more than a tablespoon, it’s all down to preference.
- Eat and Enjoy
A sharp whiff of rendered pork fat mixed with caramelized onions and toasted chili flakes announces a skillet of penne tossed with pancetta, red peppers, and mushrooms long before it reaches the table. Whole wheat penne requires careful monitoring during the boil; test strands frequently because denser grain flours shift from al dente to mushy faster than standard semolina. Sweat the onions and garlic over low to medium heat in a wide wok or deep skillet to extract moisture without burning the alliums. Deglazing the pan with a splash of red wine dissolves the fond stuck to the metal, building a savory base that coats the hollow tubes of pasta effectively.
Adapting Proteins and Fats
Pancetta provides a distinct cured salinity, but thick-cut bacon works as an alternative if cured pork belly is unavailable. Reduce added salt if substituting heavily salted bacon varieties, since the curing process heavily influences the final seasoning profile. Olive oil quality dictates the finishing flavor when drizzled over the plated bowls. Extra virgin olive oil adds grassy notes, whereas a chili-infused oil sharpens the heat profile without requiring additional dried flakes. Scaling this preparation up for more than two servings demands a wider cooking surface; crowding a standard wok traps steam, which softens the mushrooms instead of browning their surfaces.
- Pasta sticking together requires stirring during the first two minutes of boiling.
- Vegetables burning prematurely means the pan temperature is too high for the garlic.
- Dry pasta textures demand a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil directly in the bowl.
