8ozlumachine pastaor any other small shape like ditalini
½cupfreshly grated pecorino romanoplus more for serving
Lemon zestfor garnish
Herby Garlic Breadcrumbs
1Tbspunsalted butter
½cuppanko
¼cupfinely chopped fresh parsley
Reserved fried garlicfrom sauce above, crushed small
Kosher salt and pepperto taste
Instructions
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, add about ⅛ of an inch of olive oil to a medium pot. Add in sliced garlic, and turn heat to medium low. Fry, stirring, until garlic is light golden brown. This goes quicker than you may think! The garlic may seem limp and not fried, but as it cools it crisps right up! Pull it from the oil earlier than you think you should.
Drain garlic on some paper towel, and set aside. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the garlic oil.
In the same pan, over medium heat, add the shallots and sweat until soft, about 2 minutes.
Add in soppressata, and cook until rendered and crisp, about 5 minutes.
Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half. Add in tomato sauce, beans, and chicken stock. Season with a touch of salt and pepper.
Simmer sauce on low for 30 minutes.
While sauce simmers, prepare the breadcrumb topping. In a medium pan melt butter over medium heat. Add in panko and stir to coat in the butter. Continue to cook, stirring, until the panko is evenly toasted.
Transfer to a bowl, and once cooled slightly, toss with parsley, fried garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heavily season boiling water with salt. Cook pasta to al dente.
Drain (saving some pasta water) pasta and add to the sauce. Toss to combine. Add in pecorino and stir to combine, adding splashes of pasta water as needed to create a nice saucy consistency. I like this pasta to be a bit looser than I normally would make it.
Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil, the breadcrumb mix, lemon zest, and more pecorino cheese.
Video
Notes
*You can use pancetta or bacon too if you'd like! Just might have to drain off some excess fat :)