BACON.

Who. Doesn’t. Like. Bacon.

I have been making this recipe for years now. My husbands Aunt Alice bought me a tiny pasta cookbook YEARS ago for Christmas. I think I made every recipe in that book at least once. As I learned how to cook better and was less scared of trying new things, I really began to adapt these recipes to fit our likes and tastes better. This recipe is one of those that just kind of evolved over the years into this recipe and into one of our family favorites.

So, thank you, Auntie, for that cookbook and all the wonderful dinners I have created as a result of that gift!

Here is what you need:

• 1 lb bacon
• 12 oz any kind of pasta you like. I normally use egg noodles, but tonight it was bow ties
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, you can adjust this to what you like, more or less
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 28 oz can of either: diced tomatoes, if you like it chunky; or crushed tomatoes if you don’t
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Shredded Parmesan and Romano blend cheese, Optional

Cook your bacon until it’s crispy. I like to use my George Foreman grill to cook bacon because the clean up is so easy, no mess! Reserve enough bacon drippings to lightly cover bottom of large skillet. Somewhere between a 1/4 and a 1/2 a cup.  Give the bacon a rough chop so that you have a lot of chunky pieces and set aside.

Cook pasta according to box, drain and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon drippings to the skillet along with the minced garlic. Let simmer for about 3 minutes. Add your can of tomatoes and salt and pepper, then stir. Turn heat to low and let simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Drizzle in heavy whipping cream and let cook another 6-8 minutes. Add in the pasta and stir well to combine, then add the crumbled bacon. Check your salt and pepper to taste.

You can also add some chicken to this if you want to make a more full meal out of it. You can also sauté some onions or shallots into it if you want…

Enjoy! I hope that this will quickly become one of your families favorites too!