When you’re busy during the week and need to rustle up a family dinner quickly then any recipes that take less than 30 minutes are a winner. But they have to be delicious too to make it onto my regular meal list. This tomato and bacon pasta recipe is loosely based on a classic Italian pasta sauce, Amatriciana.

This recipe serves 4.

• Packet of pasta, e.g. penne or farfalle
• 250g of bacon bits or pancetta
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• Some passata
• Basil
• Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese, grated

1. Fill your pasta pot with water and bring to the boil. While you are waiting for that you can start your sauce.
2. In a large frying pan fry off your bacon bits or pancetta for a few minutes.
3. Add your tin of chopped tomatoes, 1/2 a tin of water and a glug of passata.
4. Stir and then add some chopped basil leaves.
5. Bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile cook your pasta according to instructions.
7. When the pasta is ready, drain it off and add it to your sauce in the pan and stir until the pasta is coated. That’s the Italian way – to always add the pasta to the sauce.
8. Serve with sprinkle of parmesan or grana padano cheese, and a green salad.

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