Sun-Dried Tomato Bacon Pasta

 

Showing the love of God can be as simple as cooking a meal for someone. Whether it be inviting a friend over for dinner, making your husband and kids their favorite dish, or taking a meal to a family in their time of need, nothing conveys love more than a delicious, home-cooked meal. This meal is comforting and chock full of flavor, plus it has bacon! In our family, bacon is the sixth love language. My kids love this dish. They gobble it up every time and never leave a noodle to spare.

This recipe calls for either Brussels sprouts or asparagus, which I know can be pricey. As a one-income family of seven, we have a tight grocery budget. My tip is to wait and make this recipe when the ingredients go on sale, so you don’t break the bank with just one meal. Buying produce in season is an easy way to keep your grocery bill low.

Sun-Dried Tomato Bacon Pasta

By: Brandi Carson

Ingredients:
Olive oil
12-16 ounces thick sliced bacon, coarsely chopped
2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, cut in half, thinly sliced
1 8.5 ounce jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, julienne cut, drained
1 pound of asparagus, washed and cut into 2-inch pieces, or Brussels sprouts, washed and cut into even pieces by either halving or quartering, depending on the size of the individual sprout.
1 pound box spaghetti, penne, or linguine pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated to sprinkle onto finished pasta

Note: I often stock up on this thick sliced yummy bacon from the meat department when it gets marked down. I just pop it into the freezer until I need it.It’s really great in this recipe.

Directions:

  1. While prepping your vegetables, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Place either cut asparagus or Brussels sprouts on a sheet pan to be roasted. Generously drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Roast in oven for 10-15 minutes or until browned, turning occasionally.
  4. Once water is at a boil, cook pasta as directed on box. Before draining pasta, scoop out two cups of the starchy pasta water and set aside for later use.
  5. While vegetables are roasting and pasta is boiling, sauté bacon in a large, deep skillet on medium heat. Once bacon is crispy, use a slotted spoon to transfer it from the pan to a small bowl lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil. Set aside.
  6. Remove bacon fat from skillet, leaving a few tablespoons in the pan with which to sauté onions and garlic.
  7. Heat bacon fat back to medium heat, add minced garlic, and sauté for a few minutes until aromatic. Add sliced onions and continue sautéing until tender and soft. This will take 15-20 minutes.
  8. Once onions are done, turn heat to medium-high heat and add sun-dried tomatoes, roasted asparagus, or Brussels sprouts, and half of the starchy cooking water. Sauté for a minute, stirring to combine. The starchy cooking water helps create a thicker “sauce” that coats the pasta. If after adding the water, the veggies seem dry and there doesn’t seem to be enough liquid to coat the pasta, add remaining starchy cooking water. You don’t want it to be runny or have too much liquid, just enough to create a nice coating to the vegetables. Salt and pepper generously to taste.
  9. Lastly, add bacon. Place cooked pasta in a large serving bowl, top with vegetable and bacon mixture, and toss to combine. Sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and serve.

 

Steps

If you are using asparagus for this recipe here is a quick tips on prepping it for roasting. Pull out one stock of asparagus. In one hand hold the top of the asparagus and hold the bottom of asparagus and bend it firmly down and the asparagus will snap in a naturally at a place that makes the top part edible.

Line the broken asparagus up at the top with the rest of the stock and now you have a good place to know where to cut the ends off the rest of them.

Once you have cut the bottoms cleanly off they are ready to cut into 1 1/2″ to 2″ pieces to roast.

Place either cut asparagus or Brussels sprouts on a sheet pan to be roasted. Generously drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 10-15 minutes or until browned, turning occasionally.

Once water is at a boil, cook pasta as directed on box. Before draining pasta, scoop out two cups of the starchy pasta water and set aside for later use.

To prep bacon to saute lay it all out together lengthwise,

slice in 1/2″ pieces.

While vegetables are roasting and pasta is boiling, sauté bacon in a large, deep skillet on medium heat.

Once bacon is crispy, use a slotted spoon to transfer it from the pan to a small bowl lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil. Set aside.

To prep onions for sauteing lay onion on its side.

Cut the ends off.

Turn the onion on it’s side and cut it in half down the center. Once cut in half the dry outer skin will peel right off and be ready to thinly slice.

Remove bacon fat from skillet, leaving a few tablespoons in the pan with which to sauté onions and garlic. Heat bacon fat back to medium heat, add minced garlic, and sauté for a few minutes until aromatic.

Add sliced onions and continue sautéing until tender and soft. This will take 15-20 minutes.

Once asparagus is done roasting, remove from the oven.

Once onions are done, turn heat to medium-high heat and add sun-dried tomatoes, roasted asparagus, or Brussels sprouts,

and half of the starchy cooking water. Sauté for a minute, stirring to combine.

The starchy cooking water helps create a thicker “sauce” that coats the pasta. If after adding the water, the veggies seem dry and there doesn’t seem to be enough liquid to coat the pasta, add remaining starchy cooking water. You don’t want it to be runny or have too much liquid, just enough to create a nice coating to the vegetables. Salt and pepper generously to taste.

Lastly, add bacon.

 

Stir well to combine.

Place cooked pasta in a large serving bowl, top with vegetable and bacon mixture, and toss to combine. Sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and serve.

 

 

Brandi Carson
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