Spicy Bacon and Chorizo Penne
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy
Are you looking for a speedy and flavourful pasta dish for dinner? Then this is the recipe for you! This Spicy Bacon and Chorizo Penne is full of bold flavours from bacon, chorizo sausage and delicious tomato sauce. Finish this with basil and Parmesan cheese and you have a complete dinner. You could also serve some baguette, or garlic bread to mop up the yummy sauce!
Bacon and sausage to me are an absolute treat. There are not many occasions when the house is blessed with their fragrance, but it is a special day when I do cook either. I love bacon and sausage so much. They’re a dynamic duo in breakfast sandwiches, but also perfect for pasta! What I love about these two proteins is that they cook incredibly quickly and they add body and smokiness to the dish.
I was in a hurry one afternoon before my job as a line cook and some of the shifts can be long and gruelling. I always prefer to have a filling meal beforehand and this meal has saved my tummy on more than one occasion.
So What Makes This Dish So Quick?
Italian diced tomatoes, when I first discovered them, changed my life. Another thing I learned is that due to the process tomatoes go through when they re canned, the pressurization cooks the tomatoes. So these juicy, sweet tomatoes are (almost) ready to eat within a few minutes. Another type of tomato product that falls under the same basket is passata, or strained tomatoes. Passata can be so useful and their multipurpose nature is great in all kinds of cuisines, including Italian.
This is a recipe that you’ll definitely want to make again and again. It’s a perfect go-to meal when you’re short on time and need to get something hearty, hot, and delicious on the table. The most time-consuming part of this recipe is boiling your pasta!
Ingredients In This Spicy Pasta Recipe
Penne rigate
Onion
Bacon
Chorizo sausage
Garlic
Tomato paste
Parmesan cheese
Basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Can I Substitute Regular Bacon with Turkey Bacon?
Absolutely! A great alternative to bacon will be low-fat turkey bacon. What we are trying to achieve with the bacon is to add its smokiness and crispness for additional texture.
Same goes for the sausage. You can easily substitute the chorizo sausage with your favourite sausage, chicken, turkey or other vegan options. A sausage that is slightly spicy or has smoked paprika as one of its ingredients could prove to be a close alternative to chorizo sausage.
How to Cook the Bacon and Chorizo Sausage
Cook the bacon and chorizo first to get it nice and crispy. The chorizo is chopped in a small dice to make it easy to enjoy with the pasta.
Start cooking with adding bacon to a cold pan and setting the heat to medium. As soon as the bacon starts to sizzle, add the chopped chorizo. As the bacon and chorizo cooks, they will release their natural fats. While making the sauce, we will use this to add smokiness and a lot of flavour to our final dish. No extra oil for the sauce!
Once the bacon and chorizo are crispy, set it aside while we prepare the simple tomato sauce.
Making a Simple Tomato Sauce
When your proteins have finished cooking, it’s time to make the sauce. The beauty of this pasta recipe is that the sauce is prepared in the same pot as the meat!
We use the bacon and chorizo fat that’s naturally rendering while cooking and sauté the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt. Then we add tomato paste and diced tomatoes and simmer until the sauce thickens and becomes fragrant.
To serve, add cooked penne with a splash of the cooking water and simmer for a few minutes. Then, add chopped crispy bacon, chorizo and sprinkle some fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese to complete your dish!
What to Serve with Spicy Bacon and Chorizo Penne
I would love to have some garlic bread with this dish! The sauce is absolutely incredible, and some garlic bread (maybe even cheesy garlic bread!) would be perfect to scoop up that luscious sauce.
If you’re looking for a lighter side dish, try a simple salad of arugula and some cherry tomatoes.
Watch How to Make Spicy Bacon and Chorizo Penne Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!