High proteinHigh carbQuick

Bacon & Cabbage Pasta

Sounds wrong, tastes right. Cheap, too.

20 min Serves 1 Stove, Frying pan, Saucepan

Per serving

1001

kcal

50.8 g

protein

105.3 g

carbs

42.3 g

fat

5.1 g protein per 100 kcal · 9.1 g fibre. Calculated from the exact weights below using standard food composition data, so they are close estimates rather than lab values.

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Ingredients

For 1 serving.

  • Pasta, dry weight120 g
  • Bacon100 g
  • Cabbage200 g
  • Garlic10 g
  • Olive oil12 g
  • Parmesan(optional)25 g

Method

  1. 1Boil the pasta; add the shredded cabbage for the last four minutes.
  2. 2Crisp the bacon in a wide pan.
  3. 3Drain and toss everything in the bacon fat with a splash of pasta water.

New to cooking? Read this first

The techniques and safety points this recipe uses, explained from scratch.

Pork, bacon and chorizo: cook thoroughlyShow

In the UK the advice for pork is simple: cook it thoroughly, with no pink juices.

  1. Cook until the meat is pale all the way through and any juices run clear.
  2. Bacon is done when the fat has turned golden and slightly crisp.
  3. Chorizo sold for cooking is raw inside the skin — fry it until it has released its red oil and is cooked through.
Crushing or chopping garlicShow

Garlic is added in small pieces so it spreads through the dish. It burns in seconds, which turns it bitter, so it usually goes in after the onion, not before.

  1. Pull one clove off the bulb. Trim off the hard little root end.
  2. Lay the flat of your knife on the clove and press down firmly with the heel of your hand. The skin splits and slips off.
  3. Slice it thinly, then rock the knife back and forth over the slices until the pieces are tiny. Or push the peeled clove through a garlic crusher.
  4. In the pan it needs about 30 seconds to a minute, stirring, until it smells strong — then add the next ingredient.

Ready when: In the pan: fragrant and pale gold. Brown means it has gone too far.

Cooking pastaShow

Plenty of salty, fast-boiling water and a taste near the end are the whole secret.

  1. Use about 1 litre of water per 100 g of pasta. Bring it to a rolling boil, THEN add salt — about a level teaspoon per litre.
  2. Add the pasta and stir for the first minute so it doesn't stick together. No oil needed.
  3. Start tasting a piece 1–2 minutes before the time on the packet. 'Al dente' means soft but with a slight firm bite in the very middle.
  4. Before draining, scoop out a mug of the cooking water. A splash of it makes sauces glossy and helps them cling.
  5. Drain, don't rinse, and mix with the sauce straight away.
Using the grillShow

An overhead grill cooks from the top with fierce heat — things go from golden to burnt quickly.

  1. Heat the grill for a few minutes first.
  2. Put the food on the grill tray about 8–10 cm from the heat.
  3. Stay nearby and check often. Turn the food halfway.
Draining safelyShow

A big pan of boiling water is the most dangerous thing in most home kitchens. Go slowly.

  1. Put a colander in the sink BEFORE you pick up the pan.
  2. Use oven gloves or a thick tea towel on both handles. Tip the pan away from you so the steam rises away from your face.
  3. For pasta, scoop out a mugful of the cooking water first — its starch helps the sauce stick.
  4. For tins, press the lid against the food and tip the liquid out over the sink, or use a sieve.

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A standard home version of a well-known dish, written for Solviro. Nutrition is estimated from ingredient weights and will vary with brands and portions.