Spaghetti aglio e olio with bacon and Hungarian sausage
When we cook pasta aglio e olio at home, we serve it either as a side dish or a main dish. If it’s meatless, it’s a side dish. But for a filling main dish, we like to add meat.
Servings 2 people
Ingredients
- 120 grams spaghetti (about ¼ pound) or your preferred pasta shape
- 50 grams thinly sliced bacon (about 1.75 ounces) cut into strips
- 50 grams Hungarian sausage (about 1.75 ounces) or other spicy sausage, meat crumbled and skin discarded
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- juice of half a lemon
- salt to taste
- 1 small handful roughly chopped parsley
- 1 small handful finely sliced basil
- grated Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti in about two liters of water with a tablepoon and a half of salt until al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, heat a frying pan.
- Add the bacon and crumbled sausage meat and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned.
- Scoop out the meat with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate or shallow bowl.
- Pour the olive oil into the pan.
- Over medium heat, cook the garlic until lightly browned.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds.
- Return the bacon and sausage meat to the pan and cook for a few seconds longer until the meats are heated through. Turn off the heat.
- Drain the pasta, add to the meat and toss.
- Pour in the lemon juice. Toss some more.
- Add the parsley and basil, and toss again.
- Taste the pasta. If it needs more salt, add more salt.
- Divide the spaghetti aglio e olio with bacon and Hungarian sausage between among three bowls.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if using, and serve.