Everyone needs a back-pocket pasta recipe– the kind that you can make mostly with things in your cupboard, that’s easy on the wallet, that comes together in less than 30 minutes, and that is easily scaled to serve a crowd.

For me, this is that. It has saved me when I get home from work at 8:30pm and still need to eat; it has saved me when I have been nominated to cook a main dish for a 12-person potluck.

I usually have most of the ingredients on hand: bacon in the freezer, a block of parmesan in the fridge (keeps longer than shredded!), sun-dried tomatoes and pasta in the cupboard, and garlic on the counter. But even if you have to hit the grocery store for this one, it’s still an inexpensive dish, even if you’re serving a crowd.

Just because it’s quick, cheap, and can be made in volume doesn’t mean it’s boring. Frying bacon–and then sautéing garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in the rendered bacon fat–ensures that this pasta packs an umami punch. The bitterness of the kale plays off the rich bacon. And a final toss in the frying pan helps the flavors meld (unlike so many other, lesser sauce-less pastas, which taste more like a mix of ingredients rather than a cohesive dish).

For something healthy-ish (kale, right?), flavorful, cheap, and fast, I can’t recommend this recipe enough.

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Previously:
One year ago: Farro Risotto with Radicchio, Bacon, and Mushrooms (oh my word, this was good)
Two years ago: Chai Rice Porridge
Three years ago: Apple Crisp

And for my Australians:
Six months ago: How to Keep Asparagus Fresher, Longer
One and a half years ago: Mexico City Food Guide
Two and a half years ago: How to Reduce the Bite of Red Onions
Three and a half years ago: Muesli with Nuts, Dried Fruit, and Coconut

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Orecchiette with Kale, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Serves 4 generously
Adapted from (the tragically now-defunct) Cooking Light

Ingredients

12 ounces (340g) uncooked orecchiette pasta (in a pinch, you could use another short pasta like penne)
8 cups (232g) chopped kale
3 slices bacon
1/2 cup (50g) sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped (I always buy the kind in the bag at Trader Joe’s– they can be stored in the pantry and you don’t have to drain off any oil)
heaping 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic, sliced
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
Parmesan cheese, shaved (I buy the Grana Padano at Trader Joe’s: similar taste, lower price)
juice of one lemon

Instructions

Cook pasta in big pot of boiling water until slightly undercooked (about 8 minutes for most orecchiette). Dunk a mug in to save about a cup of cooking liquid. Add kale, and cook 2 more minutes. Drain everything into a colander. The kale should be bright green and the pasta should still be a touch undercooked.

While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet (the biggest you’ve got) over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan (don’t drain the drippings!), set aside, and crumble when cooled.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add sun-dried tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Add pasta mixture, about three-quarters of the reserved cooking liquid, half the lemon juice, a few cranks of ground black pepper, and a bit of salt to pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the burnt-on bacon grease– this flavors the pasta! Stir as the pasta absorbs the lemon juice, cooking water, and bacon grease. Taste a piece of pasta to see if it is done. (If not, add the remaining pasta water and stir until absorbed.)

When the pasta is done to your liking, stir in the bacon, top with a blizzard of parmesan, and finish with a few more squeezes of lemon juice.