Cheesy Bacon Penne Food

SKILLET BAKED CHEESY BACON PENNE

Steps:

• Using kitchen shears, cut the bacon into small pieces (I just add it to the skillet as I go). Fry bacon on medium-high heat, stirring every so often, until it's crispy (10-15 minutes). You may need to turn the heat down to medium when it gets closer to being done so it doesn't splatter as much.
• Meanwhile, dice the onion.
• Once the bacon is cooked, remove it to a plate and set aside. Remove most of the bacon fat from the pan and leave about a tablespoon in there. Add the onion and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes.
• Meanwhile, grate your parmesan and mozzarella (if you didn't buy pre-grated ones).
• Pre-heat oven to 400F and move the rack close to the top of the oven.
• Add the garlic to the pan and cook it for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Give it a good stir and ensure that the yummy brown bits are scraped from the bottom of the pan. Note: if you're worried there's too much liquid, you can add the water gradually as the sauce reduces. My pan is pretty deep (two inches).
• Add the penne to the pan and increase heat to high. Once it starts to boil, decrease the heat to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• The pasta will be partially cooked at this point, and the sauce should have reduced considerably. If it's still very saucy, you can continue to cook it for another 2-3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and stir in half the bacon, the parmesan cheese, and the sour cream. Add an even layer of the mozzarella and then sprinkle the remaining bacon pieces on top.
• Pop it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. If desired, you can then broil it for another few minutes to get that delicious golden brown cheese you see in my photos. Make sure to watch it closely as it would be sad to burn it at this point.
• Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes prior to serving. Enjoy!

CHEDDAR BACON PENNE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, saute onion until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Set aside. , In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1 cup cheese until melted. , Drain pasta. Add pasta, bacon and onion mixture to the sauce; stir to coat. Transfer to a 3-cup baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

CHEESY BACON PENNE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter for 1 minute. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in 2 cups of cheese until melted. Remove from the heat. , Drain pasta; add pasta and 1/3 cup bacon to cheese sauce. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon. , Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

CHEESY CHICKEN PASTA WITH BROCCOLI AND BACON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt until it tastes like the sea. Cook the pasta until not quite al dente, about 7 minutes. Transfer with a spaghetti scoop or slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside. Add the broccoli to the pasta water and blanch briefly. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Reserve the pasta water.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, whisking, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Gruyere, sour cream and Parmesan and whisk until smooth. Add the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper.
• Add the pasta, chicken and broccoli to the sauce. Continue to cook until the pasta is al dente and the sauce coats the pasta, 4 to 5 minutes. Use pasta water to adjust the consistency of the sauce if needed.
• Distribute the pasta into bowls and top with the bacon and chives.

CHEDDAR BACON RANCH CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• 1. Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water; drain, return to pot, and keep warm.
• 2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Drain all but one tablespoon of bacon drippings from the pan.
• 3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the reserved bacon drippings, then add the chicken to the same skillet. Cook until tender, no longer pink, and slightly browned.
• 4. Sprinkle the flour and ranch dressing mix over the chicken, stirring to coat evenly. Stir in the milk, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the cheddar cheese and half of the reserved bacon; cook and stir until the cheese is melted.
• 5. Serve each plate of pasta with more bacon sprinkled over the top.

CHEESY CHICKEN BACON & RANCH PASTA

Steps:

• Fry bacon, drain most (not all) of the bacon grease. Cook chicken in the pan with the leftover grease. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the directions on the box.
• To make sauce: Melt butter. Add flour to butter once it is melted, stir completely. Slowly add cream until thickened. Once thick add garlic powder, onion powder, and ranch dressing.
• Mix all ingredients together including cheese, mix well.
• Bake in dish at 350°F for 15 minutes.

CANADIAN BACON AND MOZZARELLA PENNE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the mozzarella, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the parsley.
• In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over moderately low heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until.
• translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, the remaining 1/2.
• teaspoon salt, and a pinch of red- pepper flakes. Reduce the heat and.
• simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
• In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until just done, Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta-cooking water.
• Drain.
• Toss the pasta with the tomato sauce, mozzarella mixture, and Canadian bacon.
• If the sauce seems too thick, add some of the reserved pasta-cooking water.

BACON AND PARMESAN PENNE PASTA

Steps:

• Place the chopped bacon and onion in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir until the bacon is crisp and the onion is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
• While the bacon and onion are cooking, fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl, and stir in the olive oil to coat the pasta.
• Drain the bacon grease from the skillet, leaving a couple of tablespoons or to taste. Stir the cooked bacon mixture into the pasta, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the pasta. Stir to mix in the cheese, and serve.