Tomato Carbonara Pasta

I’ve been calling this dish Carbonara forever, even though it’s not especially similar to the traditional concept of Spaghetti Carbonara. But both my version and the traditional version contain bacon, and the literal translation of carbonara is “from the grill,” so I maintain that the rest of the ingredients are secondary to this distinctive charred-meat feature.

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In my defense, I do call it Tomato Carbonara to help avoid confusion. So it should not surprise you to learn that there are, in fact, tomatoes in the recipe. 4 small-to-medium ones, to be precise.

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Quarter the tomatoes and throw them in a blender. You do want to slice off the little stem bit at the top, but the rest should go in, seeds and all.

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Chop up three or four big leaves of real basil, and add 2 cloves of minced garlic.

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1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, and you’re ready to blend! Don’t forget to put the lid on.

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Now me, I like to do this part ahead of time, and save it in the fridge until I’m ready. It makes my last-minute dinners that much more triumphant. But there’s no reason you have to do that. If you’re going to use your sauce right away though, you should be more efficient and get the bacon cooking before you work on the sauce.

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Take a pair of kitchen shears and cut cross-wise several times over a whole package of Hormel Natural Choice bacon. [As always, the brands I use were GFCF at the time of posting, but manufacturers can change formulas without warning. Always check your labels!] The pieces will separate as it cooks, and now there’s no need to wash a cutting board. Notice that it’s a deep pan, so it can hold everything else once the bacon’s done.

Of course “done” is a very subjective term when it comes to bacon. I like mine pretty soft, while others like it burnt to a crisp. I’ll leave the negotiations in your family up to you.

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At any rate, once it’s reached the state you desire it to be in, just dump in your tomato sauce and 12 ounces of cooked gluten-free noodles (pasta shape negotiations are, again, up to you.) These King Soba brand, if you’re curious.

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Let it simmer a bit until everything’s warmed through. If you want to make your dish taste like something gourmet rather than gussied-up marinara sauce, add 1-2 Tablespoons of white cooking wine. I usually serve the kids first, and then add this to the pot for the adults at the meal. For one thing, the kids don’t appreciate the flavor, and for another, you have to boil something for a good 20 minutes if you want the majority of the alcohol content to be cooked away, and the whole point of this meal is it’s not supposed to take that long.

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Happy Eating!

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Tomato Carbonara Pasta

4 medium tomatoes
3-4 leaves fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1 TBS olive oil
1 pkg Hormel Natural Choice bacon
12 oz. gluten free pasta
1-2 TBS white cooking wine (optional)