Pasta with Pancetta and White Beans

It’s been a mixed bag of weather this February.  Some serious storms, a few sunny days, record lows, and then a couple of times we made it over freezing.

We just finished a weird time of crazy wind storms, records were made, and white outs happened everywhere.  Power went out for some.  And the week before was totally affected by a winter storm.  A good old fashioned storm where schools, transit and mom and pop shops were all closed.  The winds howled, the snow flew around, and then there was a layer of freezing rain added on top of it all.  Definitely a more messy week here in Toronto. 

Baking Therapy

So I turned it into a baking week.  I finally conquered the cannelé.  One of the best French pastries ever.  It is a small confection of a rum custard batter poured into a mold that has been coated in a thin layer of bee’s wax and butter. They get put into a terribly hot oven, which causes the outer edges of the batter to caramelize richly. But in the end, the centre is still custardy.  Since I don’t have that many molds to begin with, I had to make batch after batch to use up all the batter.  But in the end, I could do it with my eyes closed.  And now I am no longer apprehensive about making these babies. (Honestly, the morning that I had scheduled to make these, I went over the method in my head over and over, because I was rather nervous!)  And now I will always have a batch in the freezer (freeze each one individually and reheat at 500F till just warmed through) to keep me company with a strong cup of coffee.  Here is the wonderful recipe I used: The Kitchen McCabe Canelés.  I have tried numerous recipes through the years, and this one hands down wins.

I also baked up a batch of Displaced Housewife’s Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies.  These got shared with friends.  There’s always time to bake up a batch of cookies, right?

Comfort Food Satisfaction

But no matter what the weather was like, it is definitely still comfort food weather.  So it was a no brainer to pull out this recipe from the Winter edition of Cook.  A great cooking journal for everyday meals made easy. And I’m sure you’ll agree, comfort food usually includes pasta in some shape or form.  Jim is never averse to pasta in a good pomodoro sauce.  Simple and totally hits the spot.  This recipe has that and just a little bit more.  And when I first flipped through my copy, I realized that I had everything to make this recipe already in the house. Score, even a better recipe!  Good friends had gifted me some homemade pancetta, so this would be a fabulous recipe to showcase it. 

The recipe calls for cannelini beans.  Sure, ones that require overnight soaking are cost effective.  Which is fine.  But the recipe prides itself as one of those 30 minute meals.  So I decided to stick to the spirit of the recipe and use canned beans.  However, the only white beans that I had canned were Navy and Great Northern.  I chose the Navy since their size is closer to cannelini beans.

A simple pasta like penne or fancy version like casarecce or gemelli will work great for this recipe.  I think in pinch you could also use orecchietti or even elbow macaroni.  Just not a long pasta for this recipe, okay 🙂 

Pancetta and Sauce

The pancetta gets sautéed in a touch of oil over medium heat till crispy and golden.  If you simply cannot find pancetta, then use a thick cut double smoked bacon, you will get a similar result. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and add some onions to the pot to soften.   

Now this is where I took some liberties.  I just figured, if I’m putting in onion, why not just add a couple of cloves of garlic?  Come on, you agree, right?!  Then a can of diced tomatoes get added.  I didn’t have a can, but I did have a jar of whole tomatoes (from a batch that we made with the same friends who gifted me the pancetta) So I opened that jar and had the fun of crushing the whole tomatoes between my fingers (best feeling ever in the kitchen!!)  Along with the tomatoes, broth, rosemary and salt and pepper are added. 

And now it turns into one of those cook the pasta in the liquids methods.  The pasta gets added and as it all simmers, the pasta gently cooks and soaks up the flavours of the tomatoes, broth and seasonings.  Way better than just adding cooked pasta to the pot.  In the end, the rinsed beans are added, along with the cooked pancetta.  And of course, a generous heaping of grated parmesan cheese!  Sometimes a dish like this can be a little thick and creamy, especially with the creamy beans.  Here’s a tip to balance out the creaminess: Add a splash of red wine or red wine vinegar.  Or add some chopped capers or olives.  In either case, the acid or brine will cut through a rich dish, balancing it out and adding a certain brightness.  It will definitely be less cloying.

Final Thoughts

All in all, this will definitely be a go-to recipe going forward.  It has a bit of highly flavoured meat.  It has the nutrition of the tomatoes and beans.  It has pasta.  And it can be customized.  Here’s how:

Yes, this is a pasta dish.  But if you add a bit more of the stock, you can thin it out and have more of a Stoup.  You know, that combo of soup and stew.  Where you’re not sure whether to use a fork or a spoon.  I kind of like this.  I did this with the leftovers, as I was re-heating them.  Very comforting texture.  You can also add some finely diced carrots and celery with the onions. Just make sure they are just softened before adding the rest of the ingredients. 

Season as you see fit.  We love our heat, so chilli oil and flakes always come out for dishes like these. 

For easy prep, you can chop up the onions and store in the fridge, as well as the pancetta.

The original recipe states that it will feed four.  I found that it feeds more like six.  Unless you are all lumberjacks, of course.  No matter, I was happy to have leftovers. 

The finished recipe also freezes well, as I can already attest to!  Enjoy this easy to whip up weekday meal.  It will keep you filled and happy.  Until Spring Thaw.

Love Jen

5 from 1 vote

Print

Pasta with Pancetta and White Beans

Total hearty comfort food in the form of pasta simmered in a combo of sautéed pancetta, onions, tomatoes and stock. Using canned white beans to add to the end, ensures that this meal comes together quickly for those busy days.

Course Main Course

Cuisine North American

Keyword pancetta, white beans

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 4 oz package of pancetta, diced bite size, (115 grams)
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic minced, my own addition
• 1 28 oz diced tomatoes, (796 ml)
• 1 lb package of penne casarecce or gemelli etc, (450 grams)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cracked chilli pepper
• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans or great white northern, or navy beans (398 ml)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving.
• Freshly chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes or so.
2. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon to a plate.
3. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the tomatoes, pasta, broth, rosemary, salt and chilli pepper, and bring everything to a simmer.
5. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 12 minutes.
6. Add the beans and cook for one minutes to warm the beans.
7. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the parmesan and reserved pancetta, and gently fold through.
8. Serve immediately, garnishing with a scattering of parsley, with extra parmesan and chilli flakes or oil on the side.

9. See Blog Post for more details and suggestions

Recipe Notes

Sometimes this type of dish may feel a little thick or heavy. You can cut through this and brighten it up two ways: use chopped olives or capers, or add a splash of red wine (or red wine vinegar). In either case it is brine or acid that will add the perfect balance and contrast, cutting through the creaminess of the beans and pasta. The original recipe says that this feeds four. I found that it was enough for six. So if you do have leftovers, place in a sealed container in the fridge. It can easily be warmed up, adding a touch of stock, water and splash of red wine vinegar, to thin it out again. Original recipe from the Winter 2019 issue of Cook, Real Food Everyday.