Pasta with Potatoes is something that you start to appreciate more with age. Or at least this is what I tell myself. The reason is simple, I’ve never liked it, but a few weeks ago I had an epiphany!

I had the chance to fly back to Italy for a while (god bless smart working and my husband) and before the first lunch with they family my grandma asks me: what should I make for lunch, pasta and potatoes? Noooooo don’t! I wanted to say, but I didn’t. I just died a bit inside, I really wasn’t exited about the idea, but I also didn’t want to tell her no. She actually loves pasta and potatoes. It’s a dish her mother used to prepare when she was a kid and she always tells me that story. So, guess what I said? Yes of course.

Listen, I don’t know if it’s because I was missing home so much, or if she changed something in the recipe, but this time this pasta with potatoes was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Really. The all combination of the smoked pancetta with the the rosemary and the creamy texture given from the potatoes, was just perfect. It’s really something that you won’t fine in any other pasta. You must try it!

Pasta with Potatoes Ingredients

Garlic, Onion and Extra-virgin olive oil: the first step to make the perfect saute for this recipe
Pancetta: try to find smoked pancetta, not bacon, if you have the chance find something that comes from Italy. I know that they are saying pancetta and bacon are the same, but trust me, they are not. So, buy a piece of smoked pancetta.
Potatoes: we used red potatoes, but you can use any other type but the sweet ones.
Rosemary: in my opinion a must for this recipe, it give the extra touch to this pasta with potatoes’ recipe.
Salt and black pepper: this is a deep flavory dish, salt and black pepper cannot be missed.
Water: you will cook the pasta in the “potatoes” soup

Pasta with Potatoes

Recipe by GiadaCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

2 clove of garlic
1/2 Onion
100g Pancetta diced
3 Spoons Extra-virgin olive oil
2L Hot water + 1 more glass if the water evaporates too much before cooking the pasta
Pasta, in this case we used Ditalini pasta
Fresh rosemary
handful of salt
Pinch of black pepper
50g Parmesan

Directions

Prepare the sauté. In a large pot make a sauté with oil, garlic and onion. Stir for a few minutes over a medium heat. Add pancetta and keep stirring for 5 minutes.
Prepare the soup to cook the pasta. Reduce the heat to a minimum, remove the garlic and add the potatoes, salt and black pepper. Keep stirring for 10 minutes. This step will help you soften the potatoes. Add the water, cover with a lid and cook it for 10 minutes.
Cook the pasta. When the potatoes soup boils add the pasta and cook it al dente (about 8-10 minutes). If after cooking the pasta it looks too dense, you can add a glass of hot water to make it creamy.
Serve. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Add parmesan a pinch of black pepper and a few drops of oil.