Fresh Tomato, Bacon & Onion Fettucine

Five ingredients and the smoky fat from three slices of bacon are all you need for this quick fettuccine dinner for two. The bacon gets crisped, crumbled, and set aside while the onion cooks in a tablespoon of reserved drippings until just crisp-tender.

That bacon fat is doing the work of both oil and seasoning. It coats the onion, carries the smoky flavor into the fresh chopped tomato and basil, and clings to the hot pasta when everything gets tossed together. No cream, no butter, no Parmesan needed.

The tomato stays barely cooked, just warmed through so it softens slightly but still has some bite. That fresh, juicy quality against the salty, smoky bacon and sweet onion is what makes this so much more than the sum of its parts.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook the bacon until truly crisp. Limp bacon loses its crunch the moment it hits the hot pasta. Crisp bacon keeps its texture and crumbles evenly.
• Reserve only 1 tablespoon of drippings. More than that and the pasta tastes greasy. One tablespoon gives you flavor without heaviness.
• Don’t cook the tomato long. Add it with the crumbled bacon, heat just until warm, and toss with the pasta immediately. Overcooked fresh tomato turns to sauce and loses its texture.
• Use the best tomatoes you can find. This dish lives or dies on the tomato quality. In winter, grape tomatoes halved are better than mealy out-of-season beefsteaks.

Variations

• Add garlic: Mince a clove of garlic into the bacon drippings with the onion for more depth.
• Arugula finish: Toss a handful of fresh arugula into the hot pasta. It wilts just enough and adds a peppery bite.
• Pancetta upgrade: Use diced pancetta instead of bacon for an Italian-leaning version with a slightly different cure flavor.