Last night I came home after a long day with very little interest in making anything complicated. I wanted dinner to come together quickly, but I also wanted something more satisfying than a sandwich. Sometimes you just want a hot plate of real food.
My little sister-in-law was at the house, and since pasta is her favorite, I started thinking about what I could make with what I had on hand. I remembered this pasta dish I had come up with a few months earlier and decided it was time to bring it back. I’m not sure why I never blogged about it the first time. Maybe I knew I’d be making it again soon. Turns out, I was right.
Ingredients
1 box linguine
1 large onion, preferably red
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 large (20 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
1 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup extra-dry vermouth (or any dry white wine)
4 Tbsp. cream or half-and-half
1/4 cup capers, with their brine
1 package turkey bacon
4 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
A pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt to taste
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the turkey bacon on a baking sheet and put it in the oven.
While the bacon cooks, fill a large pot with water, season generously with salt, and bring it to a boil. Once the water is vigorously boiling, add the linguine and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes, or according to the package directions.
While the pasta cooks, begin making the sauce. Dice the onion into small pieces, reserving about half to add to the finished pasta. Roughly chop the garlic. Add the butter or olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted or the oil is hot, add half of the diced onion and all of the garlic. Sauté until the onion and garlic become tender.
Add the flour and stir well to combine. Cook for about a minute, then add the crushed tomatoes and cream. Stir everything together and season with a little salt.
Add the vermouth and 2 tablespoons of the chopped parsley. Stir well and reduce the heat to low. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Check the pasta while the sauce simmers. Once it is al dente, drain it well, but do not rinse it. The starch left on the pasta will help the sauce cling to the linguine.
Check on the bacon, and once it is slightly crispy, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool enough to handle. Slice or chop the bacon into bite-sized pieces.
Add the capers and their brine to the sauce, along with the brown sugar. Stir well to combine. The caper brine adds a really nice flavor to the sauce, so don’t skip it. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt as needed.
Now let’s assemble the pasta. Transfer the linguine to a large serving bowl and spoon the sauce over the pasta. Add the reserved raw onion, chopped parsley, and turkey bacon. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if you like a little heat.
Serve hot and enjoy!
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