Chef John's BLT Pasta

Ingredients

• 4 cups baby arugula coarsely chopped
• 0.5 pound bacon 
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper to taste
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
• 0.7 cup crème fraîche 
• 2 cups ditalini pasta 
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 4 servings salt and ground pepper black to taste
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 

Equipment

• frying pan
• paper towels
• pot
• tongs

Directions

1. Pour olive oil into a heavy skillet over medium heat, add bacon, and cook until almost crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off heat. Hold a paper towel with tongs and mop up excess bacon grease with the paper towel, leave about 2 teaspoons bacon grease in the skillet.
2. Stir minced garlic and lemon zest into bacon in the skillet and let cook in residual heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir creme fraiche into bacon mixture.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and stir in 2 cups of ditalini. Cook till tender, about 8 minutes.
4. Drain and add pasta to the skillet. Stir pasta thoroughly into bacon and creme fraiche mixture.
5. Return skillet to medium heat.
6. Add tomatoes; cook and stir until slightly softened, about 1 minute.
7. Mix in arugula, stirring until wilted, about 30 seconds, and turn off heat.
8. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir again and garnish with Parmesan cheese.