Conchigliette con legumi, pancetta e pomodoro - Small shell shaped pasta with pulses, bacon and tomatoes

End of the month, everyone is on a tight budget, so I just opened our kitchen cupboards and roved around the kitchen shelves and scanned all the available ingredients and made up something in my head. This is the result. It is a cross between a thick soup and a pasta dish. With cold weather around us it turned out to be a real heart warmer for us. The quantities here are for 4-5 persons as it  is very hearty, so you can make it for your holiday dinners maybe, if not adapt the quantities as you like. So here it goes,

• 200g concighliette [shell shaped pasta]
• 100g bacon steak, diced
• 100g mixed dried pulses [lentils, split peas, barley etc], soaked in water for about 12 hours or overnight
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small dried chilli, chopped or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• Vegetable oil
• 1 mozzarella ball [125g], diced
• Fresh basil leaves

How to...

1. Cook the soaked pulses in water first by boiling them for about 15 minutes and then simmering them for about 45-50 minutes or until soft. Set aside when done.
2. Fry the onion, garlic and pepper on a medium heat until soft, stirring constantly.
3. Add the bacon, herbs [not the basil leaves], black pepper, chilli and sit well.
4. Cook until bacon is cooked well.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar and simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes. Stirring frequently. In the meantime cook the pasta.
6. Add the pulses and cook for 5 minutes. Mix well.
7. Add the pasta to the pulse/tomato mixture and incorporate well. 
8. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with the diced mozzarella and hand torn fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!!!!!
R &A