| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 12 ounces gemelli, fusilli or spaghetti
- 1 head escarole, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 pound pancetta, cut into thin strips
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 red or green jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (remove seeds for less heat)
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Add the escarole and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper to taste; cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate. Wipe out the skillet, add the pancetta and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and blot dry.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet, then add the garlic and jalapeno and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Drain the pasta and escarole, reserving 1 cup cooking water, and add to the skillet. Add half of the pancetta and toss, drizzling in enough pasta water to moisten. Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide the pasta among bowls, top with the breadcrumb mixture, remaining pancetta and the parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 568 |
| Total Fat | 23 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 6 grams |
| Cholesterol | 20 milligrams |
| Sodium | 140 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 71 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 grams |
| Protein | 21 grams |
Reviews
This is one of my longtime favorite recipes. More often lately I add diced onion and cauliflower rice instead of pasta. I also do almond meal instead of breadcrumbs. So delish!!
Both my hubby and I thought this was super yummy! I used a full pound of pasta, and it made enough for two nights worth of dinners plus a bit more to spare. I too swapped out the pancetta for prosciutto, doubled the breadcrumbs/pine nuts/garlic, and used a green jalapeno instead of red. Drizzling the EVOO over the top before serving prevented this from being a dry, sauceless pasta. It was anything but. Thanks for a great recipe, Food Network!
While I did enjoy this recipe as is I did have to make a trip to a fancier grocery store to geta few of the ingredients. I now swap out the pancetta with proscuttio(which I have sliced a half inch thick in my grocery store deli. I usually can’t get red jalapenos by me also, so I use cubanelle peppers or a handful of diced peperoncini.I have tried this dish with spinach, but highly recommend using the escarole(which is usually called endive at my grocer store, the spinach just kind of fell flat flavorwise. I find my substitutions still yeild an equally delicious result.
so easy and sooo amazingly good!
I substituted the pasta for porcini mushroom ravioli from the pasta shop down the street, and I really loved this. I grow escarole in my garden so I was happy to find a new recipe.
Very good Pasta recipe. My husband says it’s a keeper. I didn’t change a thing except I had afew ripe tomatoes so I tossed them in. I didn’t find it dry at all, just be sure to add the pasta water. As far as the high calorie content, sure it seems high but the recipe states 4 servings, thats huge. There are at least 6 but with a salad 8 could be served. It’s all that pesky portion control thing! As far as the fat content, most of it is unsaturated provided from heart healthy olive oil. Take another look, this can be a very healthy dish especially if made with a whole grain pasta
I thought this was a good, basic, dish. I did a couple things differently, however. I used walnuts instead of pine nuts, although had I HAD pine nuts, that would be best. I used spinach instead of escarole. I did not cook the spinach, but added it to the cooked pasta right after I lightly drained the pasta (i.e., leaving some of the wetness to the pasta). I mixed all the ingredients together, like many other reviewers. AND, I left out the jalapeno and subbed in 1/4 teaspoon flake red pepper (I have a grinder with that in it). Maybe a bit more bread crumbs and parmesano was added than the recipe calls for, too. Pretty good. Also, I used Progresso seasoned bread crumbs for more flavor (they are nice and dry, too). I use Progresso. I think one reviewers idea of balsamic squash on the side sounds great. Not a low cal dish, but not TOO bad, since you get more flavor with less meat with pancetta. Mine was in little cubes instead of strips. Could sub proscuitto or even italian sausage, if necessary. With white wine, nummy.
I skipped breadcrumbs and peppers so the whole family could enjoy. I was surprised just how delicious this was and that even my husband went on and on about how GOOD it was, when he usually goes on and on about how I can improve/modify it. So I will be making this again.
I found this recipe to be rather blah. It wasn’t very flavorful and was awkward dry. I ended up adding some spray butter and Parmesan cheese to eat it. Maybe it could be improved by adjusting some elements. The picture looks amazing though!!
Isn’t there a better way to create this dish without the high fat content and calories? I love escarole but not enough to incorporate all the calories.