Salsa All'Amatriciana

I enjoy a good tomato sauce as much as the next Italian American, but I don't always have time to simmer marinara for an hour plus (especially if I don't plan ahead on the weekend).  Sometimes, I want my dinner in half an hour.  And sometimes I want bacon.  "Salsa All'Amatriciana" from Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Italian fits the bill, giving me lots of tomato-y, bacon-y goodness to pile on my pasta without a ton of time in front of the stove, which is always a plus during the height of the summer heat.  Time to sizzle...some bacon!


Fixins:

• 2 Tbs EVOO
• 6 oz bacon (Giada uses pancetta - she must be made of money!)
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 28-oz can tomato puree
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (honestly, I use whatever hard Italian cheese I have)

Saute the bacon in the olive oil until golden brown.  Add the onion and saute until tender.  Quickly saute the garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, then stir in the tomato puree, salt, and pepper.  Simmer about 15 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken, then stir in the cheese.

Result:

I know it doesn't look like much, but this sauce packs a punch in flavor.  None of the flavors really have time to mellow out too much, so there's a lot of strength left to the garlic, tomato, onion, and bacon.  This dish is hearty and quick, and always pleases my bacon-hungry husband.  Just make sure to plan for however much you plan to eat right away, because in my experience, the flavor really changes upon reheating, and not always in a good way.

Repeat:

Yes!  I have and I will.  This is an easy dish to pull out of the pantry and whip together quickly, with striking results.  From scratch in half an hour?  You betcha!

What homemade dish do you turn to when there's not a lot of time?