At once elegant and peasant-ish, this 30-minute pasta recipe contains just a handful of pantry ingredients. A perfect weeknight dinner when you don't know what to cook.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Salt the water generously, and let it return to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook accordingly to package directions, stirring occasionally.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and fennel and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables soften. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
Scoop out 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Turn the fennel mixture into the pot with the pasta and add some or all of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Toss to combine. Add the Parmesan and the bacon and toss to combine. Drizzle with some additional olive oil. Serve hot and pass additional Parmesan at the table.
Notes
Cook the vegetables while the pasta is cooking to save time.
Make sure to save some of the cooking water
Be careful with the salt: the pasta cooking water will contain some salt, as does the Parmesan and bacon, so you probably don't have to add much salt, if any.
If you have leftovers, when you reheat them you will probably want to toss them with a bit more broth, or at the very least water, as this kind of pasta tends to dry out a bit as it chills in the fridge. Another (generous) drizzle of olive oil would certainly not hurt at all.