Chef John's BLT Pasta

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ pound bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons lemon zest

⅔ cup creme fraiche

2 cups ditalini pasta

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

4 cups baby arugula, coarsely chopped

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 tablespoon freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Directions

Pour olive oil into a heavy skillet over medium heat, add bacon, and cook until almost crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat. Hold a paper towel with tongs and mop up excess bacon grease with the paper towel, leave about 2 teaspoons bacon grease in the skillet.

Stir minced garlic and lemon zest into bacon in the skillet and let cook in residual heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir creme fraiche into the bacon mixture.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and stir in ditalini. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and add pasta to the skillet. Stir pasta thoroughly into bacon and creme fraiche mixture.

Return skillet to medium heat. Add tomatoes; cook and stir until slightly softened, about 1 minute. Mix in arugula, stirring until wilted, about 30 seconds, and turn off heat.

Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir again and garnish with Parmesan cheese.