Most times good food is all about simple, and it doesn't get much more simple than this quick and flavor-packed spaghetti, perfect for a weeknight. The kale and bacon taste wonderful together, and oh, and did I mention lots of garlic?
The secret to this one is adding the cooked spaghetti to the pan with the other ingredients, then adding some of the pasta water. This really gets the bacon and garlic flavors infused into the pasta.
I often add bacon to kale when I'm making it as a side dish, so it only makes sense that it works great for pasta too.
You could stop right here, and it would be a great side dish.
The pasta is packed with bacon and garlic flavor.
Ingredients
- ½ lb thick spaghetti
- 2 slices thick-cut bacon diced
- 1 bunch lacinato kale stems removed and roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
- 4 garlic cloves sliced thin
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ - ½ cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Start a large pot of salted boiling water.
- Render the bacon with 2 tablespoons water in a large skillet on medium heat until it is brown but not too crispy. Adding water with the bacon sounds strange, but it is a great trick for cooking bacon.
- Cook the kale in boiling water for about two minutes, then remove from the water. Add the kale and garlic slices to the skillet with the bacon. Mix with tongs.
- Cook the pasta in (well-salted) boiling water until it is al dente. It is important to slightly undercook the pasta as we will be adding more water to it in the next step. Reserve ½ cup of the water and drain the cooked pasta.
- Add the pasta and ¼ cup of the reserved water to the skillet with the kale and bacon. The water will deglaze the brown bits that are stuck on the bottom of the skillet and will infuse the bacon and garlic flavors into the pasta. Continue to stir and cook for a few minutes until most of the water is absorbed.
- Remove from heat and mix in half of the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot and sprinkle remaining parmesan on top.
Notes
Shallots can always be used as a garlic substitute for a milder flavor.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I have never added kale to spaghetti before! What a delicious idea.. definitely need to try out the recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
justin says
Let me know how it turns out.