Linguine with Clams and Bacon

I came across this recipe and tagged it because it seemed like an easy week night dish with something for the whole family (pasta for the kids, bacon for the husband). I was not expecting great things from a few simple additions to a jar of clam sauce, but this dish was surprisingly good. The four (okay, I used six) slices of bacon really flavored the entire dish much more than I thought they would. It reminded me of a Carbonara. Or maybe a Carbonara light. Trust me, if you like bacon, you will not be disappointed.

The original recipe called for draining the bacon fat, but I choose to skip this step. What can I say, I really know how to make a recipe less healthy. Bacon is sooo tasty. If you want to be healthy and all, drain the bacon fat and add some pasta water if needed to make the pasta moist enough.



Linguine with Clams and Bacon
adapted from Gourmet Momma

1 pound linguine pasta
4-6 slices bacon
1 jar white clam sauce (12 oz)
1 lemon, zested
1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, minced

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon, cool and crumble into bite size pieces.

Add the clam sauce, lemon zest and red pepper to the same skillet and cook over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta and parsley to the skillet and mix well. Serve with the crumbled bacon.