Sauteed bacon adds smoky flavor to spicy pasta

In Italy, the rich, spicy tomato sauce called Amatriciana is found on many restaurant menus.

Yet this pasta sauce is easy to make at home. It's simple list of ingredients makes it a perfect, quick dinner for a hectic weekday night. When freshly made, the tomato and smoky bacon flavors create a delicious sauce that can be served with most types of pasta.

Crushed red pepper can be found in the spice section of the supermarket. I use ¼ teaspoon, which makes the sauce mildly hot. If you like it scorching, add a little more. Be careful; just a little more adds a lot of heat.

Traditional Italian recipes call for pancetta, an Italian type of bacon cured in salt and spices rather than smoked. It can be found in some specialty food stores. I used lower-sodium, no-sugar-added bacon found in the supermarket. Just a few slices gave the sauce a wonderful, smoky flavor.

Sauteed escarole with chickpeas is a crunchy, mild-flavored side dish. Escarole has a firm, slightly curled, pale green leaf that cooks well. Curly endive or chicory can be used. All are available in the supermarket. If these are not available, use romaine and cook for one minute instead of three.

This meal contains a total of 563 calories per serving with 22 percent of calories from fat.

Helpful Hint

To save preparation time, buy sliced, fresh onion in the produce section of the market.

Buy good quality Parmesan cheese and chop it in the food processor. Freeze the extra grated cheese for quick use.

To save using another pan, make escarole and chickpeas in the same skillet used for the pasta sauce.

Minced garlic can be found in jars in the produce section of the market. Two crushed garlic cloves can be used instead.

Countdown

Place water for pasta on to boil.

Make sauce and boil pasta.

Saute chickpeas and escarole.

SPAGHETTI ALL AMATRICIANA

4 slices low-salt, no-sugar-added bacon (3 ounces)

1 cup sliced onion

2 cups canned diced or crushed tomatoes

¼ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper