Recipe courtesy of Brenda McGranahan, Cinnabon and Benjamin Stanley, Baskin Robbins

Making this fresh pecan pasta from scratch is easy. This delicate noodle is simply served with store-bought pesto and crispy bacon…making the pecan the star of the show!

Pecan Pasta with Pesto and Bacon

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Cook time: 

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Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • • ½ cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
  • • ¼ cup pecan pieces, toasted
  • • 1 large egg white
  • • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • • 1-2 Tbsp. water
  • • ½ cup store-bought pesto
  • • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • • ¼ pound peppered bacon, diced and cooked until crispy
  • • Parmesan cheese for serving
  • • Pecan oil for garnish, if desired
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, combine ½ cup flour, the pecan pieces, egg and salt.
  2. Pulse until mixture forms peas sized curds of dough.
  3. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed.
  4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until firm and smooth, about 5 minutes. Flatten into a disk shape.
  5. Using a pasta machine set on the widest setting, run the pasta dough through the rollers 3 or 4 times.
  6. Gradually reduce the settings, one pass at a time until you get to the next to the last setting.
  7. If your dough gets too long, cut the dough in half and run each half separately.
  8. Dust pasta sheets with a little flour and cut into ¼-inch fettuccine sized strips. Set aside.
  9. In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil.
  10. Add the fresh pecan pasta and boil until al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain well.
  11. To serve, toss the pasta with the pesto.
  12. Divide among four plates and top with cherry tomato halves and crispy bacon.
  13. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with pecan oil if desired.