Pancetta Pasta

My daughter and I made this the other night for dinner. It is a an amalgam of two other recipes. Since she is building up her own recipe book of dishes she can herself make while at college ( in 4 years) she asked me to put it in a safe place. We decided that the next time we make it, we may use fresh Roma tomatoes from the garden to achieve a lighter, summery balance. SInce it is February, we didn't have that option, so canned was the plan.
She is so used to traditional family pasta dishes that we make over and over, so we are exploring other pasta options.
This is delicious




1/2 pound Panchetta cut into small thick strips
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 (14.5 ounce) cans whole tomatoes
1 1/2 pounds linguine pasta, uncooked
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese to taste


DIRECTIONS
Cook Pancetta in a large saucepan over medium high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Leave drippings in the pan, cook until translucent. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes and 1/2 the basil; cook 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes, undrained; simmer 15 minutes, breaking up tomatoes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of 4 quarts boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.
Stir rest of basil into the sauce, and then toss with cooked pasta. Serve with grated cheese.