Hotdog pasta
Please don’t be put off by the title — this recipe was born from one of those moments when the kids asked, “What’s for dinner?” and I replied, “Hotdog pasta.” They looked utterly confused and completely unconvinced… until they tried it. It went down so well that even their friends loved it. I first found the idea in a Marcus Wareing recipe book and then adapted it to suit our family’s taste.
Hotdog pasta is one of those brilliantly simple dinners that always puts a smile on the table: quick to make, using ingredients you probably already have, with soft pasta, savoury hotdog slices and a tomatoey flavour sauce. It’s fun, comforting and perfect for busy evenings when you want something tasty without any fuss
What goes well with this pasta dinner?
I love serving this with some crunchy garlic bread — it’s the perfect little extra on the side..
Hotdog pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 70 g diced pancetta
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 small onion, finely chopped or a couple of pinches of onion granules
- 10 frankfurter sausages, cut into 2½ cm pieces
- splash of port (or you can use red wine)
- 400 g passata
- handful of basil, roughly chopped
- dash of worcester sauce
- 1 tbsp oregano
- salt and pepper
- 400 g pasta shapes
- grated cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large high-sided frying pan over a medium heat, add the bacon and cook until starting to brown. Stir in the onion, garlic and frankfurter pieces and cook until the onion is starting to soften and brown (if using onion granules you will only need to cook for a few mins) stir continuously to prevent sticking to the pan.
- Pour a splash of port into the pan and stir to de-glaze, loosening anything on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the passata (or tomatoes), fill half the tin with water and add that too (should be approx. 200ml), add the basil, Worcestershire sauce and oregano. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10mins.
- In the meantime, cook the pasta following the packet instructions.
- When the pasta has cooked, drain and add to the sauce and stir. Serve immediately with grated cheese on top…..