Pancetta Pasta (Quick 4 Ingredient Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

How long should I cook pancetta for? ›

How to cook pancetta. Fry (cubed, 5 mins; sliced, 2-3 mins each side). Add to pasta sauces, soups, stews, quiches, stuffing; serve with crusty bread and a selection of cold meats; use to top pizza.

Pancetta — the Italian bacon made of pork belly meat — adds depth of flavor to all kinds of dishes. Thin strips make excellent wrappers for roasts and hors d'oeuvres like Jean-Georges Vongerichten's garlic-stuffed porcini mushrooms. Diced and pan-fried, pancetta gives extra interest to salads and veggie sides.

Pancetta (Italian: [panˈtʃetta]) is a salt-cured pork belly meat product in a category known as salume. In Italy, it is often used to add depth to soups and pastas.

Pancetta can be diced and crisped in a sauté pan. Many recipes call for adding a little oil to the pan first because it takes a minute for some of the fat to render out and the oil helps the pancetta not burn or scorch in the pan.

Plus Italians love it, and they know delicious food! Pancetta's seasonings can change, but nutmeg, juniper and black pepper are pretty standard. I highly encourage you to change up the spices and adapt the recipe to your taste or to compliment the flavors of the dish you plan to use it in.

Pancetta is dry-cured and fully aged, so it can be thinly sliced and eaten raw. You can also cook thin slices the same way you cook bacon in a pan if you want to eat alongside eggs with toast. Dicing and slowly rendering the fat out of it is a common way to start many recipes.

in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the pancetta. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through.

Most dried ribbons of pasta such as linguine, spaghetti and tagliatelle take between 8-10 mins. Shorter, thicker pasta shapes like bows or penne take 10-12mins and fresh pasta such as ravioli and tortellini will be done between 3-5mins.

Pancetta is a style of cured meat that originated in Italy. Across the country, it's common for it to be served as part of an antipasto plate, the first course of a traditional meal.

The culprit for pancetta's elevated price is the way that it's cured, which involves a long, multi-step process of brining, seasoning, and occasionally smoking. Luckily, there are a few cheaper alternatives out there that can play the same role in your dish, namely bacon, prosciutto, and salami.

Is pancetta healthy for you? ›

However, it does have some health benefits. Pork belly is a good source of protein and contains essential vitamins and minerals, such as thiamin, niacin, and vitamin B12. It is also rich in monounsaturated fats, which can help to reduce the risk of heart disease.

This product is not suitable for rare cooking. Do not undercook raw meat. Keep raw meat separate from cooked foods. Use separate kitchen utensils and surfaces for raw meat and cooked foods or wash them thoroughly between use.

Pancetta is bacon, Italian style. It is cured, rather than cooked through a heating method, making it safe and ready to eat right from the package.

If you love the salty taste of bacon but want to avoid the calories and fat, it's time to take a look at pancetta vs. bacon. Pancetta is bacon's leaner relative, and they can be used almost interchangeably.