Food on Fridays: A cozy fire (in your belly) on a cold day

Three words describe my criteria for a good meal: Cheap. Easy. Leftovers.This pasta is a favorite in our household because it deliciously fits that criteria. The ingredients cost me less than $10 at Hen House, and the dish fed three people with lots of leftovers to spare. Best yet, it’s the perfect comfort food for our cold, snowy weather.

Spicy Capellini

Recipe adapted from Kansas City’s favorite Italian restauranteur, Lidia Bastianich:

  • 8 slices bacon, chopped
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
  • 8 Tuscan peperoncini, seeded and chopped
  • 3 cups canned whole tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 lb capellini
  • 3/4 grated Parmesan

Brown the bacon in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until golden. Add the peperoncini, tomatoes, salt, and simmer 10 minutes, crushing the tomatoes. Meanwhile, boil salted water. Cook pasta until al dente, then toss with remaining olive oil. Stir in the sauce, add the cheese, and serve.

Before you go...

Thanks for reading! If you value having an independent news outlet keeping tabs on local government, schools and taxes, we're asking you to contribute to our Education Reporting Fund.

Report for America pays for half of our K-12 beat reporter's salary. Donations from readers like you cover the other half.

Gifts of any size are greatly appreciated. And all donations are tax deductible.

Support Education Funding

About the author

Jay Senter
Jay Senter

Jay Senter is the founder and publisher of the Johnson County Post.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in business at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he worked as a reporter and editor at The Badger Herald.

He went on to receive a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas. While he was in graduate school, he also worked as a reporter for the Lawrence Journal-World.

His reporting has appeared in the Kansas City Star, The Pitch and The New York Times, among other publications.

Senter was the recipient of the Johnson County Community College Headliner Award in 2023.

LATEST HEADLINES