Sometimes you just need some creamy lemon bacon pasta.
You know what food is ultimate comfort food? Pasta. If I calculated all the pasta I have eaten since I was a child, it would be a lot. Yet, I never get sick of it. We eat it about once a week and probably will continue to for the rest of our lives.
I pretty much eat any kind of pasta, because it is basically ALL AMAZING.
Except rotini. I don’t eat rotini.
Here’s the thing with those spiraly rotini noodles. Ratio of the sauce to the noodle is very important to make sure it tastes delicious. With most pasta noodles this isn’t a problem. But with rotini the sauce can’t get into all the little crevices of the noodle. Therefore, too much pasta, not enough sauce.
My husband thinks I’m crazy.
But seriously, it’s all about the ratio of the sauce to the noodle.
I’ll eat absolutely any other pasta dish with any kind of sauce and any kind of noodle. Except rotini.
Now that I write it down I do see how crazy it sounds. We can just add it to my list of quirks.
So, the next thing on my list of things to do is to track down at a thrift store is a pasta maker. Because, if pasta you buy from the store is amazing, I can only imagine what fresh pasta would taste like. Apparently it doesn’t take too long to make either and only requires a few ingredients. So it’s on the list of things to do on this little homestead.
Can you imagine a meal with homemade pasta, homemade canned pasta sauce, homegrown lettuce for your side salad, and fresh, homemade buns? Or how about a cream sauce made from the milk of your own dairy cow?
I’ve got dreams and goals, guys. One day that dinner menu will become a reality.
It’s amazing how much one can want pasta at 9:00 am in the morning when you start writing about it and now all you can think is how delicious that meal would be.
Anyways, today I thought I’d share a delicious creamy lemon bacon pasta recipe.
We used bowtie pasta for this recipe because sometimes it’s just fun to eat little bowties. At least the kids think so. You can use whatever pasta you want. Well, except rotini. Don’t use rotini because, the ratio of the sauce to the noodle just won’t be right.
CREAMY LEMON BACON BOWTIE PASTA
Saute 6 cloves of garlic in 4 tbsp of butter for a couple minutes over medium high heat being careful not to burn garlic. Because, nothing is worse than watching a perfect food like delicious garlic turn into burnt grossness.
Add 3 cups of broth and 2 cups cut tomatoes. I like to buy the colorful cherry tomato mix and cut them in half. Bring to a boil and then turn the temperature down to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
Add 4 cups of half and half cream, and the cooked bacon (10 slices chopped up) along with 1 cup of parmesan cheese and the juice of 3 lemons (or 6 tbsp of lemon juice) and 3/4 tsp of salt. Let simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes or until thick enough for your liking. You don’t want it super thick, just thick enough to coat the pasta.
You can add more or less lemon depending on your preference. Some people will find this is too much lemon. I, however, love lots and lots of lemon.
5 minutes before serving add 2 cups of chopped spinach.
Pour over your prepared pasta, sprinkle some parmesan cheese over it and enjoy! If you are like me and you REALLY like lemon, you can squeeze some more lemon over your pasta.
This dish is so delicious, it makes me feel like I am eating at a restaurant. It doesn’t even take that long either.
Creamy Lemon Bacon Bowtie Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 box bowtie pasta
- 6 cloves diced garlic
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 3 cups half and half cream
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 10 slices bacon
- 3 Lemons (just the juice)
- 3/4 tsp salt
For Garnish:
- extra grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions while you are cooking up the sauce.
- Cook bacon and chop into small pieces. Set aside.
- Saute chopped garlic in the butter for a few minutes over medium high heat.
- Add the broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add half and half cream, parmesan cheese, salt, juice of 3 lemons, and bacon. Let simmer until thickened, about ten minutes. Be sure to simmer it uncovered so it can thicken. This sauce isn't super thick - we prefer our sauces just moderately thick here.
- Right before serving, add the spinach.
- Serve over cooked pasta and top with parmesan cheese.
