BLT Pasta
This easy BLT pasta combines crispy bacon, fresh tomatoes, tender penne, and a light creamy sauce for a quick, satisfying dinner that is ready in about 30 minutes.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups chopped tomatoes or cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ⅓ cup half-and-half or cream
- 4 cups arugula
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil about 10-12 leaves
- 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the penne according to the package directions. While the penne is cooking, prepare the rest of the recipe.12 ounces penne pasta
- Cook the bacon until crispy. Drain the bacon reserving 3 tablespoons of the drippings. Crumble the bacon and set aside.8 slices bacon
- In the same pan with the reserved bacon drippings, add the red onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt. Cook until the onion has wilted and begun to soften.1 medium red onion, 3 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the tomatoes. Stir together well and cook for about 12-15 minutes.4 cups chopped tomatoes
- Add the cream or half-and-half and cook for additional 2 minutes.⅓ cup half-and-half or cream
- Drain the pasta and add to the pan along with the arugula, bacon and basil. Toss together. Add a splash or two of the pasta cooking water if needed.4 cups arugula, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- Top individual servings with Parmesan cheese.4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Notes
- Use any tube style pasta you like for this recipe. Ziti, rigatoni, even rotini work great.
- Start cooking the sauce when you put the pasta water on to boil. The pasta will be ready at about the same time as the sauce. Big time saver!
- If you have leftover bacon, feel free to use it. Otherwise, start your sauce by cooking the bacon and draining all but a couple of tablespoons of the fat from the skillet.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 1028mg | Potassium: 776mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 909IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 193mg | Iron: 4mg
