A simple creamy full of flavour Italian Dish. Mascarpone Anelli (Ring noodles) made with mascarpone cheese and pancetta. Make it with homemade Mascarpone, so easy and delicious.

Pancetta and Mascarpone Anelli

Last month I made one of my favourite Italian ingredients. Mascarpone, it was so easy and the result was amazing. So naturally I had to use it as an ingredient in something.

And that something happened to be this Creamy Mascarpone Pasta with Pancetta and fresh rosemary, and did I mention a couple of tablespoons of vodka? Sound strange? Nah Italians always use rosemary when cooking pork.

chopped pancetta, oil & rosemary in a black pan — Chopped Pancetta & rosemary

mascarpone in a bowl — Whisked fresh Homemade Mascarpone

We have a friend who is an amazing cook and he always adds a couple of tablespoons of Mascarpone to his Risotto instead of cream, and I have to admit it is so good.

When I went home to Toronto at the beginning of the summer, I wanted to make a Pasta Recipe with Mascarpone and believe it or not it took me a quite a few stores before I found a container, and the price was outrageous.

That’s when I knew it was a darn good idea that I have started to make my own. It does take 24 hours to firm up in the fridge , so just be aware that you need to plan ahead, but of course store bought Mascarpone will work fine too!

More Recipes with Mascarpone

Homemade Mascarpone

Fresh Strawberry Pie with a Mascarpone Filling

Mascarpone Cake with Raspberry Cream

Vanilla Cake with Mascarpone Cream Frosting

How to make Mascarpone Pasta

I am going to start out by saying that one thing you will never find on my blog is a one pot Pasta dish. I firmly believe as does every Italian I know, that pasta needs to be cooked in it’s own large pot of boiling salted water.

Make sure the water is boiling before adding the salt or the pasta. And remember cook al dente.

Which also means that your sauce needs it’s own pan. How are you going to cooke those gorgeous fresh tomatoes to perfection if you are throwing a bunch of ingredients in there together including the Pasta?

And besides what’s one more pot to wash in order to produce an amazing Dish of Pasta?

So while your water is boiling, in a large pan add a little oil, pancetta and some fresh rosemary leaves. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the pancetta is golden.

Add the vodka and continue to cook on medium high heat, until it stops smoking about 2 minutes.

While the pancetta is cooking, in a large bowl whisk together the mascarpone, parmesan cheese, a dash or two of black pepper and a couple of tablespoons of pasta water.

What is the best Pasta to use?

I recommend using a short pasta, cream sauces work the best with anelli, penne, mezze penne, rigatoni etc. Choose your favourite.

Then add the drained al dent Pasta and hot pancetta, gently toss together and serve. I like to serve it with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!