Bacon Parmesan Penne

I know what you are thinking:

I somehow managed to combine three of my all time favorite things in to one dish...

Now all it needs is some leeks and then it would be perfect...

Oh boy... That would be awesome. I am definitely doing that next time.

Okay anyway, Bacon Parmesan Penne. This is a delicious recipe that I borrowed from The Pioneer Woman's website. Except I tweaked it a bit... you know, for the sake of the art, man.

Well anyway, I am pretty sure I stumbled on to something amazing. And I am pretty sure you will agree.

Here goes:

Bacon Parmesan Penne

1 lb bacon, fry it up, chop it up, set it aside
crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb penne
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 block cream cheese, (4 oz)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan (the kind in a can)
4 eggs
freshly ground white pepper (or black if you just don't have it)
1 small carton grape tomatoes (maybe it's a lb? I don't know!)
olive oil

Ok so you have your fried and chopped bacon draining on a paper towel. Sprinkle the bacon with some red pepper flakes... NOT TOO MUCH! Literally a pinch or less.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the directions on the package.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Drizzle it with olive oil and spread it around (or spray the sheet with cooking spray) and dump your tomatoes onto it. Pop in the oven to broil for about 5-10 minutes, or until they get nice and roasted and pop open. Yum! If you are in a hurry or using the oven for something else, you can dump them into a microwave safe baking dish (greased, of course) and pop them in the microwave on high for about 3-4 minutes. When they pop open, they are done. Set these aside... Maybe next to your bacon? They can hang out together.

Meanwhile, put your garlic into another large pot with a tad bit of olive oil and cook over medium heat until fragrant. Then add the cream cheese and the cream and cook, stirring frequently, until the cream cheese is melted. Then add the Parmesan and white pepper. Stir until it makes a creamy sauce. Remove from heat.

Beat your eggs in a small bowl (I used a 2 cup measuring cup). Add a large spoonful of the hot sauce mixture and mix well. The point of this is to raise the temperature of the eggs without cooking them, that way when they hit the hot sauce mixture they won't turn in to egg drop soup. Because in this recipe, that would be yucky.

Okay so keep adding spoonfuls of the sauce until you can feel the side of the cup or bowl and it isn't super cold. I probably added a total of 3/4 cup. Now carefully whisk this in to your sauce.

Now dump in your cooked drained pasta, your bacon, and your roasted tomatoes and toss... Gently!! You don't want to end up with pasta all over your cook top!

Sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan cheese. We used fresh grated (not the can.. the real stuff!) But the can stuff works great too.



Wasn't that an easy and impressive dinner?

Oh and did I mention that it makes enough to serve an army? Yeah... it's definitely not just a two person recipe. In fact, if you are just cooking for two, I recommend dividing the entire recipe in half.

It does make terrific leftovers though. I even mixed in a squirt of Tuscan Italian salad dressing to mine today to "change" the flavor a bit. I bet a spoonful of pesto would make a nice change as well. Or you can just enjoy it for the honest deliciousness of the original... It's just that good!

:) Happy eating!

Cheese Sauce, and Many Ways to Use it!!!

Ok so in case you didn't know... We recently found out that I am pregnant!!!!!!

Well so far this baby has been very... hmmm... let's just say picky. Very, very picky.... And by picky I mean that if this baby doesn't get exactly what he or she wants, mama gets very VERY sick... Needless to say, this is a hard task to accomplish, so I am sick a lot...

But there has been one thing that I have been craving nonstop, and that I have managed to keep down about 50% of the time (that is actually a really big deal right now, believe it or not!).

Cheese sauce... Yes, you read right: cheese sauce.... on EVERYTHING!!!!

The first time I made the sauce it was to make a homemade au gratin potatoes for my husband's birthday dinner... It was so tasty and I liked it so much I made it again a few nights later and steamed some broccoli and some rice and then mixed it all together to make homemade cheesy broccoli rice (I used to love the stuff in a bag, but that is sooooo not good for you... so this is a good alternative).

Then I made pasta the next night, steamed some more broccoli, and cut up some cooked chicken into chunks and tossed it all in cheese sauce...

Oh and if those three ideas weren't enough, I made another recipe involving crescent roll dough stuffed with chicken and cheese, topped with a cheese sauce (to which I added a can of cream of chicken and mushroom soup) then baked in the oven... super yum...

Okay so anyway... Cheese sauce...

Start with 1/4 c butter and a few tablespoons flour. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then stir in the flour and mix well. Add about a cup and a half of milk, stirring well. After the mixture bubbles, add 1 cup of cheese into the pot and stir well. Once the sauce slightly bubbles and thickens it is finished...

The type of cheese can be changed for the recipe... I have used sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, and a four cheese mixture... All of them were good, though the sharp cheddar is my personal favorite...

A few ideas for using it:

Fondue!!! Cube a loaf of french bread and dip in the cheese sauce (you can use a fancier cheese for this, or just plain old cheddar).

Broccoli Chicken Cheesy Mac: Cook pasta according to package. Meanwhile make the cheese sauce, when adding the cheese also add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or chili powder. Steam broccoli florets and cut cooked chicken into cubes. Toss with pasta and sauce and serve. If you use already cooked chicken this recipe takes 15 minutes to make, start to finish!

Cheddar Broccoli Rice: Steam 1-2 cups of rice. Steam 1 cup of broccoli. Make cheese sauce and toss with rice and broccoli. This recipe only takes about 15 minutes to make if you use minute rice.

Cheddar Broccoli Rice Bake: Make cheddar broccoli rice. Layer a casserole dish with thinly sliced chicken tenders. Top with cheddar broccoli rice and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, then top with cheese (and French Fried Onions if you want some fun texture!!!) and bake for 5-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Au Gratin Potatoes: Thinly slice four to six large potatoes. Layer potatoes in a casserole dish, pouring half of the sauce over the first layer, followed by another layer of potatoes, and topped with the rest of the sauce and grated cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 300 degrees for an hour and a half.

Enjoy!!!