Good morning. If you love breakfast for dinner, consider buying pancetta, which gives you an excuse to add a bacon-like ingredient to any meal of the day.

We give you ideas on how to do that below.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Pancetta

What is it?

Pancetta is an Italian cured pork belly that’s seasoned with salt, pepper, (and sometimes other spices), then air-dried (but not smoked). Think of it as bacon’s richer, more refined cousin.

Sold either in chunks, cubes, or slices.
Common in Italian cooking, especially pasta sauces and braises.

In grocery stores, it is usually found near cured meats or specialty cheeses. It’s becoming widely available in the US (although you could always use thick-cut bacon as a substitute).

What’s its flavor?

Taste: Savory, salty, subtly sweet when cooked

Aroma: Meaty, peppery, pork-forward

Texture: Firm when raw; renders into unctuous fat + crispy bits when cooked

Human: Foundational to Italian cooking. Doesn’t make dishes taste like “breakfast” like bacon does

Why should you buy some?

Pancetta gives you all the benefits of bacon — fat, umami, and texture — but with a cleaner flavor that won’t overpower a dish with smokiness. That makes it incredibly versatile.

It renders into clean, flavorful fat that can be used for cooking or emulsifying pasta sauces. The crispy meat bits become crunchy toppings (great on salads).

If you want restaurant-level pasta, ragu, stews, soups, or beans at home, pancetta is one of the easiest ways to add extra flavor & richness. Just treat it like an aromatic, sweated into the base of a dish like onions, or as a garnish.

What else can you make with it?

Substitute hard-to-find guanciale in pasta carbonara or amatriciana
Ragu bolognese boosted with diced pancetta in the mirepoix base
Crisped pancetta over salads, soups, or roasted squash
Beans or lentils simmered with pancetta and aromatics

Also, it freezes really well (even diced) and defrosts quickly, so it’s easy to keep some on hand.

RECIPE RECS ✅

Pancetta in pasta

In the US, pancetta is far more available than guanciale, the traditional pork cut used in classic Roman pastas like carbonara.

It’s a great substitute and a generally awesome crispy topping for pasta. For example, use it in this spicy carbonara rendition.

Pancetta also makes a super flavorful bolognese-style ragu. We have a framework for that on the Cook Well app if you want to try it out for yourself.

Let’s Cook!

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

High-protein yogurt bagels

Are Greek yogurt doughs the new protein bar?

Scroll through food TikTok or Instagram and you’ll see it: “2-ingredient bagels” made with self-rising flour and Greek yogurt.

Unlike traditional bagels, which involve multiple steps (+ lots of carbs), this trend is all about protein and convenience.

Here’s why the two-ingredient combo works:

Greek yogurt adds protein and moisture in one move. It replaces yeast fermentation with the tangy acidity of the dairy, creating a tender, chewy bread without the wait time.
Self-rising flour contains baking powder as an instant leavening agent, creating a shortcut to bubbles and rise without the need for yeast or proofing.
Air frying or high heat baking create exterior browning without the need for a lye and malt syrup bath.

Trend takeaway: High-protein yogurt doughs aren’t replacing classic NYC-style bagels anytime soon — but they’re redefining what “healthy eating” can look like: taking your comfort foods and tailoring them at home to meet your goals, something we talk about often on the Cook Well channel.