I didn't have the usual fall-backs for spaghetti in the house. I had no turkey or beef (for meatballs or to make a meat sauce) and no pancetta. But I did have bacon and parmesan.
Here's my super-easy version of gluten-free fusilli. Look, I'm not a professional chef--so this is how I do it. I rarely follow a recipe EXACTLY. I like to improvise and I don't like to use measuring tools. So, this recipe below is an estimation of what I did. I use my hands and learned the "pinch o this, pinch o that" method from cooking over the years. Play with this recipe and use it as a basic outline--get creative! This is what I happened to have in my kitchen yesterday and I added things as I went, I didn't follow a recipe. Here's what I came up with. It received the nod of approval from man and daughter so yours might like it too!
What you need:
*grated fresh lemon, 1 TBS
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5-6 large leaves fresh basil
shredded or flakes of REAL parmesan cheese as preferred (NOT the kind in a green can!)
1 rather large piece of bacon (uncooked), chopped into small pieces
1 or 1 & 1/2 jar(s) spaghetti sauce (depends on how wet you like your pasta)
& add a fresh tomato, chopped- if you have one around.
GLUTEN-FREE Fusilli or spaghetti (Brown rice pasta is best)
salt & pepper
any italian herbs you normally add to your sauce
*The grated fresh lemon adds a zesty "chirpy" flavor which, I, particularly enjoy. Lemon has many anti-oxidant benefits as well--so add it to everything! (I keep one in my fridge or freezer to have available for zesting with at a moments' notice.) Lemon zest can go in or on teas, pastas, fish, rice, sangria, ice cream, sushi, noodles, and salads and more! It adds an instant vibrancy to foods that perks up many dishes we make repeatedly (like fusilli/spaghetti/pastas).
Cook the pasta according to directions. While the pasta is boiling, start your carbonara sauce.
Start with a little butter in a hot pan. Add the minced garlic. Once the garlic gets a little pungent in the pan add the chopped, raw bacon. (Do not burn!) Stir together for a minute or two until the bacon is almost cooked. (Add the fresh tomato here if you have it and let it cook to soften.) Add the jar of sauce right over the bacon and garlic. Stir together and add salt & pepper and spices when and how you like it. Let it simmer for a few minutes so all the flavors merge together. Add the lemon in at the end before mixing with the pasta. Also add in the parmesan (1/4 cup if you like).
Once the pasta is cooked and rinsed, toss it with the sauce and then sprinkle more lemon zest and parmesan on top and then a few torn leaves of basil on top for color and decoration. Enjoy!
It's an easy twist on our usual pasta that everyone likes. Bacon, lemon, and parmesan--a bright, robust, tasty addition to the usual pasta meal.
