| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 12 slices bacon, cut into 2-inch strips
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup full-fat sour cream
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus additional juice to taste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, preferably Lea & Perrins
- 1 pound dried orecchiette pasta, preferably De Cecco
- 1/2 cup minced fresh chives
Instructions
- Cook the bacon: Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup water and the bacon slices. Cook until all of the water evaporates and the bacon becomes crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a kitchen towel to drain, reserving the fat in a separate bowl.
- Make the sauce: In a large skillet, whisk together the heavy cream and sour cream. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Simmer the cream mixture over medium heat, whisking, until it thickens, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta: In a large pot, bring 6 quarts water to a rolling boil and season with 1/2 cup salt. The pasta water should taste like seawater. Add the orecchiette to the boiling water and stir with a slotted spoon to make sure it does not clump or stick to the bottom as it cooks. Cook until the pasta is al dente (chewy but not hard or raw tasting), 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the pasta in a large colander, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water in case you need it to adjust the sauce.
- Finish the dish: Reheat the pasta sauce over medium heat until it simmers gently. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to coat in the sauce. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the pasta to rest for 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the bacon, some of the reserved bacon fat, an additional splash of lemon juice, chives and pasta water (if needed) to make a sauce that lightly coats the pasta. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 565 |
| Total Fat | 36 g |
| Saturated Fat | 17 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 94 mg |
| Sodium | 382 mg |
Reviews
One of our favorite pasta dishes to make! I added also some shrimp and it was delicious!
This dish is delicious I love all of the flavors will definitely make again
This dish is beyond delicious. It is superb! Five stars! I sent 1/2 the dish over to my sister and brother in law & they both loved it. I have made it again & again. Can’t say enough great things about this dish!
Made last night. Verry good receipe. Did not have chives, so i put in shalots. Replace the sour cream for plain greek yogourt. For my taste, it was too much lemon juice… Next time, i’ll put about 2 teaspoon of lemon juice and maybe add a little dijon mustard.
So delicious!!!! I added peas because my husband loves them. This will be in constant rotation in my kitchen!!
This is amazing! Due to what I had on hand I subbed Cellentani pasta vs Orecchiette, roasted chicken vs bacon and Italian parsley vs chives. Every last bit of leftovers were eaten!!
Making as originally written this week.
Thank you Alex—-
Making as originally written this week.
Thank you Alex—-
Family favorite! Great weeknight pantry meal
Really good and simple to make.
Very tasty. One of the best recipes around.
Easy to cook and tastes amazing!