Heukimja Cream Bacon Rigatoni (Black Sesame Cream Pasta)

Quick answer

Total time: 30 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 10

About this dish

Black sesame cream bacon rigatoni is a fusion pasta that earns its crossover status through ingredient logic rather than novelty.

Roasted black sesame ground to a fine powder and blended into heavy cream and milk produces a sauce with a deep, slightly bitter nuttiness - closer to a nut butter than a standard cream - with a grey-toned color that signals immediately this is not a conventional cream pasta. Bacon fried until crisp adds salt, smoke, and crunch at regular intervals throughout the dish, which is important because the sauce, however rich, stays uniform in texture without it. Rigatoni is the right format here: the tube shape traps sauce both inside each piece and on the outer ridges, so every forkful delivers the full flavor load. Finishing with grated Parmigiano or Pecorino deepens the salt and umami content, and a final dusting of black sesame powder over the plated dish reinforces the Korean ingredient that anchors the whole concept. The combination works because black sesame and cream are both fat-forward and round - they do not fight each other.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

rigatoni180 gg

bacon100 gg

heavy cream200 mlml

milk60 mlml

black sesame paste2 tbsptbsp

Parmesan cheese30 gg

onion60 gg

minced garlic1 tsptsp

olive oil1 tbsptbsp

black pepper½ tsptsp

Shop All Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Finish

Bring 2L water to a full boil and add 1 tablespoon salt.

Cook 180g rigatoni for 1 minute less than the package time, then reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water before draining.
2

Control

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

Add 100g bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the fat renders and the edges turn crisp without burning.
3

Heat

Add 60g onion to the same pan and cook for about 2 minutes until it looks translucent and softened.

Stir in 1 teaspoon minced garlic for only 30 seconds so it releases aroma without turning bitter.
4

Step

Pour in 200ml heavy cream and 60ml milk, then lower the heat to low.

Warm for 1-2 minutes with only small bubbles around the edge, building a smooth base without reducing it too fast.
5

Season

Loosen 2 tablespoons black sesame paste with a little hot sauce in a small area of the pan before mixing it through.

Keep the heat low, add 30g grated Parmesan, and stir until smooth to avoid splitting.
6

Finish

Add the drained rigatoni and loosen the sauce with reserved pasta water, one ladle at a time.

Toss over high heat for 30 seconds until the sauce coats the ridges and tubes, then finish with 0.5 teaspoon black pepper.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Roasted black sesame powder turns heavy cream into a slate-grey sauce with deep nuttiness.
Finish cue: Toss over high heat for 30 seconds until the sauce coats the ridges and tubes, then finish with 0.5 teaspoon black pepper.
Avoid this: Add 100g bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the fat renders and the edges turn crisp without burning.