Creamy Leek and Pancetta Papparadelle

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 ounces pancetta, finely diced

1 large leek (discard dark green and tough stems), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (roughly 5 ounces)

sea salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

6 ounces dried egg pappardelle pasta

1.5 ounces microplaned parmigiano-reggiano or grana padano cheese

 Creamy Leek and Pancetta Papparadelle

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat if necessary.

Add the unsalted butter to the pan, and add the sliced leeks. Saute the leeks for 6-8 minutes over medium-high heat until they are lightly caramelized and soft. Add the heavy cream, chopped thyme, and 1/4 cup of water to the pan, and stir ingredients together. Bring to a simmer and reduce the cream mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook the pappardelle in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring every few minutes, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. Using tongs, transfer the pasta directly from the pot to the pan with the cream sauce (don’t worry if you transfer some pasta water along with it, as this will help thin the sauce and help it coat the pasta).Turn off the heat. Stir the pasta gently in the sauce until it is evenly coated, add the grated cheese, and add pasta liquid as necessary. Serve immediately and garnish with fresh thyme leaves and grated cheese.

Link to original recipe: A Beautiful Plate – Creamy Leek and Pancetta Papparadelle

Double the recipe and go heavy on the leeks. Add your favorite protein. We added shrimp. Also, definitely use pappardelle but if you can not find it, fettuccine is a close second. We did it with fettuccine this time because it was all that was available.

I will typically try to give a healthier version of all recipes. This one isn’t one of them. If you want healthy, don’t even bother.

My Advice: Marry someone who can cook.