Penne With Brussels Sprouts, Chile and Pancetta
Updated March 2, 2017
Dane Tashima for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Sea salt
8 ounces penne
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
3 ounces pancetta, diced
1 large rosemary sprig
6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 jalapeño or Serrano chile, thinly sliced (or substitute 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes)
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons butter
Fresh lemon juice, for serving
Freshly grated pecorino cheese (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
100 grams carbs; 53 milligrams cholesterol; 867 calories; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 39 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 755 milligrams sodium; 30 grams protein; 6 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring large pot heavily salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until pasta is just al dente (do not overcook).
- Step 2
Meanwhile, heat large sauté pan over high heat and add the olive oil. When oil is hot, add the pancetta and rosemary, and sauté until the fat on the pancetta starts to turn translucent and very lightly brown, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, chile and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and sauté until garlic and pancetta turn richly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the brussels sprouts, a large pinch of salt and a splash of water to pan, and sauté until sprouts just start to soften, about 2 minutes. Spread sprouts mixture in pan and press down to flatten. Let it sear for a minute, then stir it up and repeat. This helps brown the sprouts. Add the butter, and sauté for another minute.
- Step 3
Drain penne and add it to pan with brussels sprouts mixture. Cook, tossing, until everything is well mixed. Spoon into pasta bowls and top with a drizzle of oil and lemon juice, and a little cheese if you like.
Private Notes
Comments
Wonderful! Being vegetarians, we used shitake mushrooms in place of pancetta. Would also be great with toasted sliced almonds and/or raisins.
Pancetta adds lots of salt flavor. "Heavily salted" penne water adds salt. Other directions add salt. Too much. Lay off the salt and add at end if needed. Otherwise this was terrific. The brussell sprouts cook down quite a bit so don't skimp. I'll add more next time. Wife thinks this is good for dinner party.
I just made this for the first time, and I love it. For my oven using high heat was too much, so I cut back to medium high heat and cut down on the cooking times by as much as a minute. I'll try this again this weekend, and in the future I may substitute mushrooms for pancetta to make it a vegetarian meal.
I've made this so many times I've lost count. My changes: quadruple the garlic because we love garlic 4 oz pancetta (seriously the deli dept here in HEB in Texas has a hard time with 3 oz pancetta - also when I lived in Maine), 2 sprigs rosemary, this said - the pecorino tops this great meal off, too salty? goodness we don't eat pecorino or pasta (salted water) weekly either, the health brigade at the NYTimes is overwrought and overdone, enjoy this delicious meal over and over again.
Excellent! I used bacon. Though I questioned the addition of the 2 tsp butter at the end I'm glad I included it, as it added a nice bit of unctuousness. Will make again.
Skip the pasta, triple the brussel sprouts and shred using cuisinart blade to make it a Thanksgiving side dish. Serrano pepper, rosemary and lemon juice add surprising, yet complementary notes to the usual holiday palate.
interesting but a hard no from me. love this recipe for what it is, it's a pasta dish that is delicious, I add a bit more lemon juice for us and the pecorino! perfection.