Steps

1. Finely chop 1/4 onion.
   🕒 01:03
2. Roughly chop 1 clove of garlic.
   🕒 01:24
3. Cut 2-3 slices of bacon into 2-3cm pieces.
   🕒 01:48
4. Tear 2-3 red chili peppers. If you don't like spicy food, remove the seeds.
   🕒 02:10
5. Bring 1.5L of water to a boil in a pot, add 1 tbsp of salt, and add 120g of penne. Cook for 12 minutes. Stir lightly at the beginning of cooking to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
   🕒 02:31
6. Heat 2-3 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté until the chopped onion is softened.
   🕒 03:03
7. Once the onion is softened, add the roughly chopped garlic and cut bacon, and cook until the bacon releases its fat. Garlic burns easily, so add it after sautéing the onions.
   🕒 03:26
8. Add 1 can (approx. 400g) of whole peeled tomatoes and the torn red chili peppers to the sautéed ingredients. Chili peppers tend to release more heat when sautéed in oil, but they can also burn easily, so adding them here is also an option.
   🕒 04:00
9. Add 1/2 tbsp of sugar to mellow the tomato's acidity and simmer to develop a richer flavor.
   🕒 04:34
10. Add a suitable amount of pasta cooking water and continue to simmer to condense the flavors.
    🕒 04:58
11. Add the cooked penne to the thickened sauce in several batches.
    🕒 05:32
12. Toss the sauce and penne to coat evenly, and simmer briefly to evaporate moisture while allowing the penne to absorb the flavor.
    🕒 06:03
13. Taste and add more pasta cooking water if it needs more saltiness. Add more chili pepper if it's not spicy enough.
    🕒 06:28
14. Finish by drizzling 1 tbsp of olive oil for shine and aroma.
    🕒 06:38
15. Plate and garnish with coarsely ground black pepper and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
    🕒 06:48