Oh my goodness, where to begin. Let’s start with…this dish is loaded with bacon. Surprised? I bet you didn’t expect that one. It doesn’t seem green chile and bacon with pasta would be something to put together. Au contraire!!
The flavors of this Green Chile Vermicelli are so out of control delicious, I don’t even know how to explain it. Funny, because you can’t really see the green chiles, nor would you know they were there, except for the residual heat they provide.
But the overall taste is so, so good. And quite honestly, this recipe was kind of a happy accident. It reminds me of the old commercial where someone gets their peanut butter mixed with someone’s chocolate…creating the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Remember that?
This combination sort of happened when green chilis fell on the bacon slices I had sitting on my cutting board. I tasted it together and it was the perfect pairing. Somehow that taste morphed into this recipe. I love when that happens. I call it, “accidental recipe development”. It’s often the best kind.
This can be made after work since it’s really easy to throw together. It also makes a large amount and is perfect for lunch leftovers. The flavors only get better.
Would you not agree vermicelli is a totally under utilized pasta shape. I love its thinner and shorter size. At the store, it can be labeled vermicelli or cut spaghetti…or even thin spaghetti. However, the packaged thin spaghetti is usually not cut short like vermicelli, but you could break it into little pieces yourself. I have also seen vermicelli in the Hispanic section of the grocery store if you can’t find it on the regular pasta aisle.
I promise you are going to love this quick and easy dish. Try it and let me know what you think.
Green Chile Vermicelli
Ingredients
- 12 slices thick cut bacon, diced
- 1 pound dry vermicelli or cut spaghetti
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cups (32 ounces) beef broth
- 2 (15 ounce) cans fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chiles, mild
- 5 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 8 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
- In a large dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside. Saute onion in leftover bacon grease until softened, about 5-8 minutes (the onion should be soft and not have a bite to it). Add dry vermicelli, cooking until it starts to brown (stir often); about 5 minutes.
- Add beef broth, tomatoes, green chilis, vinegar, parsley, black pepper and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Stir occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom. Cook for 20 minutes so the pasta softens and the liquid evaporates.
- Pour into a large pasta bowl and toss with bacon and cheese. Serve immediately.
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