Rigatoni with Swiss Chard, Bell Peppers, and Pancetta

by becky
Created
From the cookbook America's Test Kitchen: More Meditteranean

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound rigatoni
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 8 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed and cut into 1⁄4-inch-wide strips
  • 2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1 cup), plus extra for serving
  • 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 1⁄4-inch-wide strips

Directions

  1. Heat pancetta and oil in Dutch oven over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fat is rendered and pancetta is deep golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to bowl; set aside. Pour fat from pot into liquid measuring cup. You should have ¼ to ⅓ cup fat; if you don’t have enough, add oil to equal ¼ cup. Return fat to Dutch oven.
  2. Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 3 cups cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
  3. Add pepper and 2 cups reserved cooking water to reserved fat in Dutch oven and bring to boil over high heat. Boil mixture rapidly, scraping up any browned bits, until reduced to 1½ cups, about 5 minutes. (If you’ve reduced too far, add more reserved cooking water to equal 1½ cups.) Reduce heat to medium, stir in chard, and simmer until chard begins to wilt, 1 to 3 minutes. Add Pecorino, red peppers, pasta, and pancetta, stirring until cheese is melted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, passing pepper and extra Pecorino separately.