Monday, February 27, 2012

Bacon and Parmesan Pasta


So glad you chose to drop by Red Couch Recipes.  This has quickly become a family favorite at the Red Couch home.  One night, awhile ago, I had some onions and tomatoes in my fridge that I needed to use.  I used these two ingredients as the base for my recipe inspiration and voila, a recipe was created.  This recipe whips up quickly in about 35 minutes and is very tasty!  I love the smoky flavor the turkey bacon provides.  It's a good clean-out the fridge recipe, as you could easily add some other vegetables that you need to use up.

Bacon Parmesan Pasta Sauce

1 pound turkey bacon
3 cups diced Roma tomatoes
3 cups diced onions (mild)
2 cloves garlic, minched finely
2 cups fat-free half and half (reserve 1/2 cup to combine with flour)
2 tablespoons flour
1-1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese (reserve the 1/4 cup to garnish the pasta)
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste
1 pound Penne pasta

The onions -- yum!


The Roma Tomatoes keep their shape.  There are so many vegetables packed into this recipe, but my children don't seem to mind them at all!


Directions
1.  Cut up bacon into small pieces, and add bacon to dutch oven. Cook bacon on medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until done. 
2.  Add the onions and garlic to the bacon and cook for another 5 minutes until the onions are clear. 3.  Next add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. 
3.  Add the 1-1/2 cups half and half to the dutch oven and stir to combine. In a small bowl, combine the reserved 1/2 cup half and half and the flour and stir to mix, and then add this to the pasta mixture, stirring well to combine. 
4.  Next, add the 1 cup Parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook on the stovetop, stirring frequently, for another 10 minutes to reduce and thicken mixture. 
5.  While the pasta sauce is reducing, bring the penne pasta to boil in a large pot and cook to al dente. Drain the pasta. 
6.  Combine the pasta sauce and the drained hot pasta in a large serving bowl and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

  • Red Couch Recipe Notes:
    I always use Turkey Bacon; I love it that it so much lower in fat than regular bacon, and I love its smoky flavor. I use shredded Parmesan cheese, not finely ground Parmesan cheese. Fat-free half and half is available in most grocery stores, including Wal-Mart.  Yield:  6 servings. 

Thanks for dropping by Red Couch Recipes!

13 comments:

Sarah said...

Looks good. This just might be dinner tomorrow night. ~ Sarah

Julie Harward said...

This looks wonderful...YUM! I think I will be trying this soon. :)

Lynn said...

Sounds great Joni! I've never tried turkey bacon, might pick some up as I'm curious now:@)

Anonymous said...

this looks great joni!! anne

Marigene said...

Looks delicious...I could eat pasta every day of the week!

Leslie said...

My mouth is watering--all my favorite ingredients in this!!!

Pondside said...

MMM that sounds delicious, and pretty quick to put together, which is a factor for weekday meals. I love the thought of all those flavours.

Diane Hodrick said...

This sounds delicious. I am a certified pasta nut...and everything is better with bacon. Have to give this one a shot too!

Beth said...

Joni, That looks delicious! Love your dinnerware too. Have a glorious day! ~Beth

Jacqueline said...

Joni, it not only looks great (I think I might be hallucinating because I can smell it too! - hunger pain induced hallucinations!), but your beautiful dishes look great too. What a pretty serving dish.

I agree, Roma tomatoes are the ones I buy most often because they are so meaty and holy their shape. This sounds fabulous.

Sue said...

I just "pinned" this one...it looks yummy!

Anonymous said...

I really try to make this recepies at home.It delicious and amazing.It really different and amazing.


scooter

Sue said...

Bacon and cheese~YUM!

Engageya