Fettuccini Alfredo with Pepperoni and Bacon

Sometimes, the best meals come from the most unexpected places—or in my case, the odds and ends lurking in the back of the fridge and freezer! 

I had a small bag of pepperoni in the freezer that didn't quite make it into the Easter meat pies. And then there was the leftover crispy bacon from the weekend. My usual plan was to whip up our classic Fettuccini Alfredo, but as I started boiling the pasta, a thought sparked: Why not add a little extra something-something?

So, into a sauté pan went the pepperoni and bacon with a drizzle of olive oil. I let them sizzle and crisp up. Once they were perfectly golden and irresistible, I set them aside in a small bowl.

The result? A familiar comfort food transformed into something even more exciting. The salty, savory bits of pepperoni and bacon added a fantastic depth of flavor and a delightful textural contrast to the rich Alfredo sauce. It was a twist that both of us loved

And I made Parmesan toast.

Fettuccini Alfredo with Pepperoni and Bacon

Ingredients-

1/4# Diced Pepperoni
2 slices of cooked bacon
1 tsp olive oil
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
Dried egg fettuccine
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)

Method-

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add Pepperoni and bacon. Cook until crisp.

Put the Pepperoni and bacon in a bowl and set aside.

Wipe the oil out of the sauté pan.

Melt butter in a large sauté pan.

Cook fettuccine in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain fettuccine in a colander.

Immediately toss the fettuccine with butter and salt in the sauté pan, then slowly add 3/4 cup cheese, tossing constantly and adding enough cooking water to keep pasta moist.

Add the Pepperoni and bacon to the pan.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle with remaining cheese.